Ocarina of Time
by EmilyAnnCoons
Summary: A young kokiri finds himself on a quest to save Hyrule, and to discover his true self. Rating changed to T after much thought.
1. The Kokiri Emerald

**Chapter 1: The Kokiri Emerald**

It was a beautiful day in the land of Hyrule. Hyrule was a peaceful land, filled with many different races. Hyrule was a huge plain that spread a span of at least five hundred miles, not counting the forest, the desert, the lake, and the mountain ranges that made up the rest of the world. This land, however, was not always so peaceful.

Many years before, great wars occurred, and many men were killed. The races of Hyrule were all divided, and threatening to kill each other. The Gorons of Death Mountain were at war with the Zoras of Lake Hylia; for they had built the Zora had expanded their land into the mountain, and created what they called "Zora's Domain." The war of Zora against Goron was more of a territorial war, battling for control of Death Mountain.

"The King's royal advisor suggests that we aid the Gorons in the war, but the King's right hand soldier insists that he go after the Zora," a voice spoke. "Which are we supposed to do?" The voice was coming from a long hallway down in the castle. Two soldiers were talking about the war.

"I don't know," another voice spoke, coming from the other soldier, "but apparently the Zora are threatening to attack if we even so much as move against them. We can't be on both sides, and we can't be on one side. This war is terrible. It's all the fault of those darn Gerudo. They want to divide Hyrule…I swear, they have a dark purpose…a very dark purpose."

"Don't worry about it. We'll take care of the Gerudo once the war is over. For now, let's just hope that Hyrule will stay at peace." They both nodded and continued on. Later, the first soldier returned home, entering in and looking around. "Honey!" he spoke. "Honey, are you still here?"

"My husband, I am still here," a female voice spoke. "How goes the war? Has Hyrule chosen a side? Or are we still neutral, as I hope we are?"

"We are still neutral, but tomorrow the King is to give a proclamation of which side Hyrule will be on…I fear that as soon as the King speaks, many a man who wish Hyrule on their side will attack the castle and we will all be in grave danger. This is why you must leave. Our son cannot be a child of war."

The girl walked out from behind a veil. She held a baby in her hands who was happily cooing in her arms. She looked up at her husband and spoke. "Then what do you suggest we do about him?"

"Do you remember the legend of the Kokiri?"

"Yes, the Kokiri are children with fairies who live inside of the forest. They have a guardian inside that watches over all of them."

"Yes, and it is there that our son must go. We will take him there tomorrow, if the king decides to enter into the war." The wife nodded in agreement. The next day, the two of them entered into the throne room, awaiting the King's decision.

"Welcome, all Hylians. The King has proudly made his decision!" They all cheered and the soldier and his wife could only stand to watch. "Here he comes, the King of Hyrule, King Harkinian!" Everyone cheered as he entered. The king was a tall man of old age. He had a teenage old boy next to him, his son, apparently. The king wore the finest robes; while his son wore the most terrible looking robes anyone had ever seen. No one understood why the prince's robes were so terrible, why the king's were so delightful.

"Countrymen!" began the king. "Fellow Citizens of Hyrule! Workers from Kakariko Village! Zoras! Gorons! Gerudos! I have made my decision. As of this day, Hyrule stand now, and forever, neutral in the sight of the Zora and the Goron. Hyrule will not participate in this war." Many people booed at that point, while many people cheered.

"Help the Zoras!" many shouted.

"Help the Gorons!" many others shouted.

A Gerudo man soon walked up next to the king. "If you will not aid the Zora, then you shall die!" The Gerudo snapped his fingers and the king collapsed to the ground. "Yes, you feel the pain, don't you? Yes, you feel the pain of a thousand different types of elements weighing down upon you. Yes, you are in pain, aren't you? You can't stand the pain inflicted upon you by a teenagers snap? I am the Gerudo King, Ganondorf!" The Gerudo's cloak flew off and there a teenage boy stood.

The boy had dark skin like all the Gerudos' had. He had fire red hair, and dark, sinister eyes. His eyes seemed to glow evilly as he looked at the king. He also had black armor on his body. "So be it. I tried to reason with you, but you refused." He snapped his fingers again. "I can end this war if you tell me where the Triforce is."

"I'll never tell you!" the king spoke in a loud whisper.

"Then die, and let everyone's memory of this moment be wiped from their mind." He snapped his fingers again and a blinding flash of light appeared in the room, the next moment, Ganondorf was gone, the King lied on the ground, dead. Everyone had lost the memory of what had happened at that moment, everyone, except three people.

"Oh my god…he just…killed him…" the soldier spoke. "Oh my god!" he shouted. "My darling wife, get him our son out of here, now! Get him to our home, and use the cover of night to aid you when it comes."

Suddenly, the prince stood up and looked around. "My father has died, probably because someone attacked him before he got here. There is only one race that could do this type of thing. They are the Gorons! Everyone, it is time! We gather together now and fight with the Zoras and fight against the Gorons! Who is with me?" Many cheered, and about twice as many got angry.

"Fight with Goron!" many shouted.

"Remain neutral!" many others shouted.

"Kill those who dare to disagree with me!" the prince ordered. "Fight! Kill the Gorons!" Those who were agreeing with going against killing the Gorons all cheered, and the place turned into a huge battlefield. The soldier and his wife quickly took their kid and ran outside.

"I must aid them. They need me…I must attempt to keep us neutral!" the soldier shouted, turned, and ran back in. The girl watched for a moment, then ran off, heading home. She reached home and began to quickly pack up her stuff. At nightfall, she heard the distressing news of her husband's tragic death, and the tragic death of many others. She quickly took her son, hopped onto her horse, and began to ride off into the night. _I must reach the forest before daybreak, or all will be lost!_ she thought to herself.

She continued to ride on, riding ever farther. The night grew older, and soon it was the middle of the night. She still had not yet gotten to the forest, and she looked around. "I'll never find that forest…" she spoke.

"Woman," a voice spoke. "Why do you seek the Forbidden Forest?"

"Who are you?" she asked when she heard the voice.

"My name is of no importance. Answer what I have asked."

"I search for the forest in a hope that my child shall not have to grow up as a child of war. Please, if you know the way, then show yourself and allow me to follow you."

"You realize that no one who enters in other then the Kokiri may live? Anyone who enters is turned into a tree, that is the legend."

"I don't care! If it will save my son, then I'll be glad to have died for him."

"Then follow me." Suddenly, a large owl appeared into view. "Follow me, I will show you the way." The owl spoke and took off, heading forward. She quickly kicked the horse so it would go, and she followed the owl all the way to the forest.

The forest was enormous, and it seemed that one could easily get lost within it. She dismounted her horse and walked forward, following the owl. She soon reached a large tree and looked up at it. "Welcome, woman, I am the Deku Tree, the guardian of the forest! Thy arrival was foreseen."

"Please, sir, take my child. He must be raised here, away from the war."

"Thou wouldst sacrifice thine own life for the life of this child?"

"Yes, I would, as long as it would allow my son to live here and grow up with the Kokiri."

"So be it. Go to the Kokiri Village and give the child to the children there. Thy son, Link, shalt be allowed entry, but thou shalt be turned into a plant once thee hast entered."

"It is a price I must pay." She nodded and turned.

"I must thank thee for bringing the savior here," the Deku Tree spoke.

"Savior? This is just an ordinary child! How can he be a savior?"

"He is the savior of Hyrule. Do not fret, my child. Just take thy child to the Kokiri." The woman nodded and took the child to the Kokiri Village.

"It's an outsider!" one of the Kokiri spoke.

"Please, take my child," the woman said, kneeling down.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of him. Trust us!"

"I trust you," she spoke as her final words. She then collapsed to the ground. She glowed, and a plant was left in her place.

"Wow," they spoke and smiled, looking down at the child now in their hands. Many years passed and Link grew. The Deku Tree watched over him year after year. He was easily brought into the Kokiri culture. He wore the same clothes as the Kokiri, spoke the language of the Kokiri, and even lived like a Kokiri. Everyone thought of him as a Kokiri, except for a few of them. They didn't think he was a Kokiri because he didn't have a fairy.

"You're too ugly to have a fairy!" one Kokiri spoke. He was an orange haired creep, who liked to make fun of people. His name was Mido, the "Boss of the Kokiri." "Yeah, you know it, you're too ugly. U-G-L-Y. Ugly!" Mido laughed. He wore the same green tunic and green hat that all Kokiri boys wore, except he wore a white shirt underneath, which he said proved he was the boss.

"I'll show you!" Link shouted. "No one calls me ugly and gets away with it!" Link was a boy of about 11 now, and he had blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore the typical green Kokiri tunic with the green hat. He growled as he picked up a rock, about to throw it. Suddenly, two hands grabbed his arms and held him back.

"Link, they only do it to make you mad! Be calm, relax!" A female voice spoke. It was the voice of a girl Kokiri. She wore the green tunic like every Kokiri, but she had a green headband, like all the girl Kokiri had. She was, however, the only Kokiri in the forest with green hair and green eyes. All the others had blonde or orange hair and had blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, Saria," Link spoke. "Mido makes me mad, though!"

"Don't worry about it, Link. Mido will get what he deserves some day, I guarantee it." Link and Saria always stuck together. No matter what, the two of them were always by each other's side. Even when Link was busy making his mask for the Kokiri Festival, he still stuck with Saria, even if it meant she had to stay and watch for hours on end. Even in his trip to the Lost Woods, Saria stuck with him. The two of them were inseparable.

It was now morning, and Link could be found racing through the Kokiri forest, heading towards the Deku Tree. "Once upon a time, far far away," the Deku Tree began. "Hyrule hadn't yet any shape. It was said that three golden goddesses descended upon this earth. One was Din, who created the red earth with her fiery hands. Another was…"

"Sorry!" Link shouted as he swung off a vine and landed on the head of a nearby Kokiri. "I'm in a hurry to get to the Deku Tree, I don't want to miss his story!" He turned his head back in the direction he was going. "Unlike the other times he told it," he said to himself.

"Where are you going…Mr. 'No Fairy'!" a voice asked. Mido soon landed on the ground in front of him. Mido had blonde hair, much like Link, and wore the usual green Kokiri tunic. He was the supposed "boss of the Kokiri" and was as stubborn as heck. He smirked a bit as he pushed Link to the ground.

Link growled as he fell to the ground. "Mido!" he shouted. "Let me pass!"

"Oh my, a little half-a-person is going to beat me up, I'm so scared," he spoke sarcastically. "You're pathetic, only a full person deserves to hear the Deku Tree's story."

Link growled. "I'll show you pathetic!" he shouted and stood up, jumping on Mido. Link punched Mido and Mido punched back. They began to fight, and everyone just watched.

"Mido and Link!" the Great Deku Tree shouted. "Stop this pointless bickering at once!"

"He started it!" Link shouted, pointing to Mido.

"I don't care!" the Deku Tree shouted back. "Now, Mido, get out of here! Go home and let Link be!"

"Fine…" Mido grumbled. He looked to Link and stuck out his tongue. "No Fairy." He walked off. Link growled and began to yell at Mido.

"Mido!" the Deku Tree shouted and Mido ran off. Link sighed and climbed the Deku Tree's great roots, sitting down. "Don't let Mido's words get to you, Link."

"Great Deku Tree," Link began as he looked up at him, "how come I'm the only one who's different from anyone else?"

"I'll tell you when the time is right."

Link looked down and sighed. "I know…but I want to know now."

"Link!" a voice called from nearby.

"Saria!" Link shouted as he looked up. Saria was one of the very few female Kokiri in the forest. Unlike the other Kokiri, who had blonde hair, she had green hair that matched her green tunic. She also had green eyes, which matched her hair. She smiled as she stopped near Link, looking up at him. Link quickly hopped down from the roots, and landed in front of her. "Boy do you have great timing. I got something to show you!"

Saria smiled. "What is it?" Link pulled out a small slingshot from his pouch. Like all Kokiri, he had a small pouch that could store more then what it looked like it could store. The items would shrink when he stuck them into the pouch, allowing him to hold several items in it at once, and items that were ten times the size of the pouch. "What's that?" she asked tilting her head a little.

"It's a slingshot. You just stick seeds in it, like so," he stuck a small seed into the slingshot, "and pull it back, then launch it off." He pulled the slingshot back and released it, making the seed shoot off, striking a piece of fruit nearby, making it fall to the ground. "Since I don't have a fairy, it'll help me get the fruit I can't reach from trees." Saria smiled.

"That's so cool! Let me try!" Saria took the slingshot and aimed it into the tree.

"Look at that," Mido said as he hid in the tree Saria was aiming at. "Look at Link, being all lovey-dovey with Saria. He makes me mad." Saria shot off a seed into the tree, which knocked Mido right in the face, knocking him out of the tree. "Wow! You're real cool to think up this type of thing, Link."

"Hmm…maybe no fairy will come to me because I am strange."

"That's not true. Even if you don't have a fairy, you still my very best friend, Link, okay?"

"Yep," Link said, smiling a bit. "Play your ocarina, Saria." Saria blinked.

"Why?" Saria asked.

"Because, I'd like you to play it. It always cheers me up."

"Okay," Saria said, smiling. She pulled out her ocarina and began to play it. Link smiled as he watched Saria play the ocarina, soon finding himself dancing to the music. He loved it when Saria played her ocarina, it made him happier. The two danced as Saria continued to play her ocarina, but before long, the forest began to become dark and Saria stopped.

"Hey, I've been having that dream again," Link said when Saria stopped playing her ocarina. "You know, the one where the skies are dark, and I'm standing in front of a huge building with a peeked roof?"

"Hmm…could that be a castle?" Saria asked as she sat down next to Link.

"'Castle'? What's that?" Link asked. "Is it something deep in the forest?" He sighed and looked down. "Why do things I don't even know exist keep appearing in my dreams?"

"Well," Saria began, "the Great Deku Tree told me that people live far away from the Kokiri Forest and beyond the plains. Maybe the castle is around there somewhere. The Deku tree said that the world is very big, and there are many different lands in it."

"The world?" Link asked, looking to Saria. He looked up at the stars, deep in thought. "What is the 'wide world'? There is surely something more outside of the forest I just don't know of yet." Unknown to Link, eerie black clouds have begun to eat away at the beautiful Kokiri Forest.

"Well, we better head back, now," Saria said. "It's nightfall, and we need to get some rest." Link nodded and the two walked off together, heading to their houses. Link walked Saria home first.

"Well, you're home, Saria," Link said.

"Thank you, Link. You're always so kind." Saria kissed him on the cheek, making him blush. She then walked off into her house. Mido growled as he watched from the bushes nearby. Link turned, and walked back to his house. He entered and Mido growled again.

"I'll get him sooner or later," Mido whispered to himself and headed to his own house. The night was uneventful, and soon the morning came.

Link awoke from his bed and looked around, sighing lightly. "Well, it's morning now…I wonder what can happen now." He walked out of his house and stretched. He got down off the ladder and looked around. "Ah, what a nice-" his sentence was cut off when something hit him right in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. "OW!" he shouted. He turned only to find Mido standing there and laughing, the slingshot Link had made was in his hand. "Mido! Give me that back right now!" he shouted.

"What? You mean…this?" he snapped it upon his leg and laughed, tossing the pieces to Link. He and his two goons walked off, laughing. Link looked at the slingshot and closed his eyes, holding it in his hands.

"Darn you, Mido!" he shouted. "You'll pay for that!" He ran forward and tackled Mido, sending his fist right into his face. The two of them began to fight and roll around on the ground. They fought for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes. Both were receiving a heavy beating.

"Mido! Link! Stop fighting this instant!" the Deku Tree shouted, but they ignored him. The Deku Tree watched for a moment, but spoke again. "You two, stop fighting!" the Deku Tree shouted once more.

"Link!" came a sudden scream, the voice sounded very familiar, and Link immediately recognized it.

"Saria!" Link shouted, shoved Mido to the ground, then ran in the direction of her scream. Mido growled, noticing that Saria had called Link's name specifically. Link stopped in front of Saria, looking at her. Saria looked like she was terrified of something. He hugged her and looked at her. "What's wrong, Saria?"

"I saw something…or…someone…" Saria kept her eyes closed, her arms were held close to her. She opened her eyes at last, looking at Link. "Link…this place is in great danger…"

"Which way did it go, then, Saria? I'll take it out before it can harm anyone."

"It didn't go anywhere…" Saria said, closing her eyes again. "It appeared in my mind, almost like a vision…"

"What happened then?" Link asked. "Did you see where it went to? Or did you only see this area?"

"I only saw this area, but it was headed in the direction of the Great Deku Tree…" Saria looked up at Link, opening her eyes. "I think something's going to happen, or maybe…has happened…" she closed her eyes again, looking away. "I just…don't know…"

"Don't worry, Saria. Nothing will happen, I promise." Link held Saria close, hugged her tight, and kissed her lightly on the cheek, which made her blush. "It'll be okay."

"I hope you're right," Saria said. "I don't want anything to happen to the Deku Tree. He's been our guardian for so long, if he dies, we won't have a place to stay that's safe."

"I know, and if you had a vision of him getting harmed, I'll be right there to stop it from happening."

"Thanks, Link," Saria said, smiling. She turned so she was looking him in the eyes, then kissed him lightly on the lips. The two just stood there and kissed for a moment. Mido watched, anger and jealousy striking him. He turned and picked up the two pieces of the slingshot, then used the main piece to fire a rock at Link. The rock missed Link, hit a tree, bounced off, and struck Mido straight in the head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

After a moment, Link and Saria broke from their kiss and looked around. Saria smiled a bit more and Link held her close once again, wrapping his arms around her waist. They just stood there, enjoying a time together. Link smiled more; then, suddenly, a loud crash was heard. Link looked up quickly and looked around, trying to find the source. Soon enough, he realized it was the sound of Mido falling from a nearby tree and onto a large thorn bush.

Mido was still unconscious, although the thorns awoke him rather quickly. "OW!" he screamed and ran off. Saria and Link both laughed. "You think it's funny, huh!" Mido shouted. "Well, see if this is funny!" He picked up a rather large rock and threw it at Link. Link moved Saria out of the way just to be sure she wouldn't get hit. Saria quickly shoved Link out of the way, though, and got hit in the leg, the rock making it give out a loud snap.

"Saria!" both Link and Mido shouted in unison. Link ran over to her and looked at her. He knelt down and touched her leg, and Saria winced in pain. "Saria, are you okay?" he asked.

"No…I'm not…I think my leg is broken…" Saria winced in pain again and Mido, who heard it, immediately began to panic. He stepped back a little, realizing what he had done. He shook his head; it was Saria's fault! If she hadn't pushed Link, she wouldn't have gotten hurt! He stepped back again, not quite sure about what he had just thought.

"Mido, get some help. Go tell the Deku Tree!" Link shouted to Mido. Mido shook his head and quickly ran away. "Mido!" he watched as Mido ran off and slammed his fist upon the ground. He swore under his breath and Saria gasped in surprise.

"Link, you need to stop doing that," Saria spoke kindly.

"I know…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Link sighed and looked up. He looked down at Saria. "Let me help you up, we can go to the Deku Tree." She nodded and put her arm around Link. Link helped her up, pulling her arm around his neck. He helped her stand to her feet, then helped her walk to the Deku Tree. "Great Deku Tree, we need your help."

"What is wrong, my child?" the Great Deku Tree asked.

"Saria's leg has been broken. Is there anything you can do to fix it?" Link asked.

"Yes, my child, I see that thou leg is broken, and thus, I shalt repair it for thee." An orb floated down from the tree and touched Saria's leg. Saria felt a striking pain as the bone in her leg was placed back correctly, and then repaired. After a moment, she stopped wincing and her leg was fully repaired.

"Thank you, Great Deku Tree," Saria spoke.

"Thou art welcome, my child," the Deku Tree spoke.

Link smiled and hugged Saria. "There, your legs are better now, and the Deku Tree is still okay."

"Link!" the Deku Tree spoke suddenly. "I have foreseen something. In the eve of this day, thy fairy shall come to thee. At this time, thou shalt be called here once more."

"M-my…fairy?" he blinked.

"That's great!" Saria shouted. "Finally, Link, you'll have a fairy!"

Link blinked again. A fairy? Was it possible he was finally going to get a fairy? What would he do when he got one, though? He already had gotten used to life without one, so how was having one going to help him? He didn't know, but there must have been something he couldn't do without one, even with how clever he was. He turned to look at Saria again and smiled. "Yeap, it'll be nice to have a fairy." He took her hand and the two walked out.

"If only thou knew Link," the Deku Tree spoke, but his words could not be heard by Link. "Soon, thou shalt learn of why thy fairy is going to come to thee." Link and Saria spent the rest of the day together, happily celebrating the news that Link had received. Alas, Link could not help but wonder why he was going be called back when his fairy had come to him.

That night, Link and Saria walked around the forest, looking around, but also enjoying their time together. "So…now what?" Link asked.

"What do you mean?" Saria asked.

"I mean, now what shall we do. It's getting late and we should both head home."

"I don't want to, though. I want to stay with you tonight. I want to be there when you get your fairy."

"I know you do, Saria, but we can't both go to my house."

"Yes, we can. Come on, we'll just lie down in your bed and sleep until morning. You're fairy will be there in the morning."

"Unless it comes during the night…" Link said under his breath.

"Hmm?" Saria blinked, not sure what he said.

"N-nothing, nothing…never mind." He kissed Saria on the cheek and she blushed. The two of them walked to Link's house and stopped at the ladder. Link sighed. "I don't know, Saria. I don't think it's a good idea for us to be in the same bed during the night. I mean…what if we go farther then just sleeping? What if we…umm…you know…."

"Don't worry, Link, we won't." Saria hugged him. "We've managed this once before, we can do it again. It's only one night." Link nodded and the two of them climbed the ladder and walked into Link's house. They laid down in the bed together and smiled. Saria turned on her side, her back facing Link, and Link smiled, rolling on his side and wrapping his arms around her. The two soon fell asleep; little did they know that something was about to happen, something terrifying and deadly.

It was the middle of the night, and all was quiet. The Kokiri were in bed at the moment, and it seemed peaceful. Suddenly, there was a quiet movement through the forest. Something big was coming, something very big. The figure was tall, but its form could not be made out in the black of the night. Dark clouds covered the sky as the figure moved quietly through the forest. "Go, now, Ghoma," the figure spoke to something in its hand. "Go, now, devour and bring to me that which I want dearly. Bring to me the Stone."

A noise, almost like that of a bug, could be heard coming from the figures hand. Something jumped from his hand and a glow appeared, making the creature grow and change form. Soon the glow was gone and a beast crawled quietly through the forest, soon appearing before the Deku Tree. The beast laughed a little. "Who are you!" the Deku Tree shouted.

"I am she," said the beast. "I am the virus that shall soon plague your heart. I am the parasite that shall eat at your mind. I am the monster who shall take your soul." The beast roared and ran forward, jumping onto the Deku Tree. "Deku Tree! A tree is a sad being for it cannot move." The creature laughed a little. "You are mine, now."

"Great Deku Tree?" a nearby fairy asked. "Great Deku Tree, are you okay!" The fairy flew over to the beast. "Get away from him you beast!"

"It is too late!" the beast laughed and soon seemed to melt into the tree.

"Navi…is it…you?"

"I am here, Great Deku Tree."

"Navi, thou must listen to me. Ghoma, the Queen of Parasites hast entered my body. Thou must help me…"

"Yes, sir, what do you want me to do?"

"Go, find the boy without a fairy, guide him here…hurry, Navi, I haven't much time left." Navi nodded and flew off into the night.

Lightning crackled above and Link awoke with a start. "Link?" Saria asked, awakening and opening her eyes to look at him. "What's wrong, Link?"

"I just felt something," Link said. "It felt like something pierced my heart and began to suck the life from me. I think the Deku Tree's in trouble."

"The Deku Tree? Are you sure?"

"HELP!" came a sudden shout from outside. Navi flew in, smashing against the wall next to Link.

"ACK!" Link shouted and fell back, landing on Saria.

"OW!" Saria shouted as Link fell on her.

Navi moved off the wall and looked at Link. "Link! Link! You have no fairy! I've been looking for you!" she shouted.

"For me?" he blinked, then remembered what the Deku Tree had said. "YOU'RE MY FAIRY!" Link shouted and quickly pulled Navi into his arms and hugged her tight.

"You're squashing me!" Navi shouted.

"Oops, sorry," Link said and let go of Navi, smiling.

"This is great, Link! You're fairy's arrived!" Saria shouted, then pushed Link off of her.

"No, this is not great!" Navi shouted. "The Great Deku Tree is in great danger! He needs your help immediately!"

"What's wrong with him?" Link asked.

"There's a parasite inside of him. It's eating him alive. A man in black armor came and sent the parasite at him. Oh, Link, it's terrible!"

"I'll help you, little fairy," Link said and smiled.

"Yeah, and I'll be right by his side," Saria said, smiling. Navi smiled and flew to the door. "Come on, then!" she shouted. Link and Saria nodded.

Down beneath Link's house, Mido stood there with a saw in his hand. "I'll get him this time," he snickered. "I'll cut a hole right next to his bed, and when he gets up in the morning, he'll fall through." He snickered again and began to cut his hole. He was about done with it when Link stood up and stood on where he was cutting. Link fell through and the wood landed right on top of Mido, and Link on top of the wood. "Ow…"

Link looked down and blinked. "Mido?" He stood up and moved the wood from where Mido was now laying.

"Are you okay, Link?" Saria asked, looking through the hole.

"Yeah, I'm okay, but I think I landed on Mido."

"Yes, you did!" Mido shouted. "You little creep!"

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Link shouted. "Someone cut a hole in my floor!" He then blinked, realizing what was in Mido's hand. "You little…you were the one who cut the hole in my floor!"

"Oops…" Mido blinked, realizing he was found out.

"It doesn't matter right now, I don't have time for you. Saria, jump down!" Saria nodded and jumped down, landing in between Mido and Link. Navi flew down soon after and the three stood there. Mido was now in a panic, because he saw Link now had a fairy. Link screamed when he looked down at his feet. "The grass!" he shouted. "It's withered away!"

Mido noticed it, too, then looked around. "You're right, and so have the trees."

"The Deku Tree really is in trouble, let's hurry!" Saria shouted.

"Right," Link nodded and the three of them and Navi all ran to the Deku Tree. "Deku Tree!" Link shouted. "Deku Tree, are you okay?" he ran up to the tree and touched it. "He's cold!" Link could feel tears in his eyes now. "No, you can't be dead! Please, Deku Tree, please don't be dead!"

Mido walked forward, looking at the tree. "I can't believe it. The Deku Tree, our great guardian, is dead."

"No, he can't be dead!" Link shouted. "Please, no, you can't be dead!" Tears were now coming from Link's eyes. He knew the Deku Tree was dead, but he refused to believe it. "No…" Link closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears from going down his cheeks. "He just…can't be dead…"

"Link…" Saria walked forward and put her hand on his shoulder. She closed her eyes for a moment then stepped in front of Link and hugged him tight. "It's okay, Link." Link began to cry and hugged Saria tight, not wanting to let go of her for fear that she could suddenly die right before his eyes.

"The stone!" a voice shouted suddenly. "Give me the stone!" A monster appeared from the tree. It was Ghoma, the Parasite Queen. Ghoma was huge and had a single eye. She had two long arms that stretched out from the sides of her eye into claws, and she had two small claws sticking out from the top of her eye. She had a long tail sticking from her back, and her eye seemed to watch everything around her. "Give me the stone!"

"That's her!" Navi shouted. "That's Ghoma, the Parasite Queen! She's the one who cursed the Deku Tree and made him like this!"

"No, Fairy Navi, I was not the one who cursed him. I am the curse put upon him." The beast gave a strange roar that sounded like that of a bug and a machine. She then seemed to melt back into the tree.

"So, that was Ghoma, huh?" Link sighed. "Great, how do we beat her? I don't have any weapons, no thanks to Mido who broke my slingshot!"

"Hey! I fixed it! See?" Mido pulled out Link's slingshot. It seemed bran new. "I took it to the Deku Tree to fix it, cause I was going to keep it, and use it on you. I guess I don't need it, though." Mido tossed the slingshot to Link. "Besides, I have something better. I have the Kokiri Sword!" He drew a sword from the sheath on his back and smirked. "See that? I'm special, I get the sword!"

"Yeah, really great, Mido," Saria said, rather bored like.

"Yeah, you're just too amazed to say it."

"Sure, Mido, you just believe that," Saria patted Mido on the back.

"She's going to pay for what's she's done to the Deku Tree! I'm going after her, and don't try to stop me!" Link shouted, gripping his slingshot and running forward. He ran to the roots and into a hole deep inside of them.

"I'm coming, too!" Mido shouted and ran forward, putting his sword back in the sheath and climbing down the hole with Link. The two reached the bottom of the hole and they looked around. "Let's go!"

"Careful, Mido. Don't overdo yourself."

"Shaddap! I ain't going to let you be the only one who shows of in front of Saria."

"Uhh…what are you talking about, Mido?"

"I'll never let you have Saria!" Mido shouted.

"Uhh…Mido…I guess you haven't noticed, but…Saria's already mine."

Mido blinked and got angry. "No, she isn't! She's mine! She's mine, I tell you! She's mine!" Link just rolled his eyes, and the two continued their journey onward. Mido stopped after a moment and blinked, looking at a web that was in front of him. "What's this?" he touched the web and blinked. "Ew! It's sticky! Get it off me!" he shouted. Link just watched; laughing hard and Mido gave him a glare.

The two continued on when suddenly Navi stopped them. "What's that noise?" she asked, hearing something.

"The stone, where is the stone!" Ghoma shouted as she ate away at the Deku Tree.

"She's…she's… eating the Deku Tree!" Link shouted. Ghoma turned her head when she heard Link. "Oh, crap…"

"Must you two be cursed as well?" Ghoma asked as she looked at him.

"Return the Deku Tree back to normal!" Link shouted, placed a seed in his slingshot, and fired at her. It hit her skin and she didn't even flinch.

"Give me the stone, where is the stone!" Ghoma shouted.

"Darn it! It's no good, let's run!" Link began to run, but Mido just stood there, the Kokiri sword in his hands. He shook with fear as he looked upon Ghoma.

"W-what's t-this a-about a s-stone…?" Mido stuttered out. Ghoma roared. "N-never mind…" Mido tossed the sword back and closed his eyes, ready to be eaten.

"Link! Mido is…" Navi spoke. Link turned and quickly ran towards him, knocking him out of the way of getting hit by a huge claw.

"Let me do it on my own, baka!" Link shouted at Mido and hit him over the head. He turned and looked at Ghoma. "Take this!" he shouted, placing a seed into his slingshot and firing it at Ghoma. It hit her skin once more and she didn't flinch. "Darn it! What can I do!" He stepped back, only to trip and fall into a web. "I…I can't move! Great Deku Tree, help me!" he shouted.

"Take this, you creep!" Mido shouted and threw a pebble at Ghoma. It hit her skin and bounced off, hitting a nearby wall, barely missing Navi.

"Watch where you're throwing, Mido!" Navi shouted. "That pebble could have killed me!" She then watched as the pebble flew in Ghoma's direction, knocking her in the eye. Her eye immediately went white, as if struck by some great force. "Link! Look! The eye! Go for the eye!"

Link pulled his slingshot back, using his last seed. He aimed at Ghoma's eye and let the seed fire off, hitting her square in the eye. "No! Not fair! I wanted to beat her!" Mido spoke. Ghoma roared and began to steam. She fell apart until all that was left was dust. From that dust, a small bug emerged. "This is…"

"…Ghoma's true form?" Link finished and Mido and Link seemed to stare at it.

"It's just a little bug…" Mido said, blinking.

"Let's go," Link said and the two got out of the tree.

Saria ran to Link and hugged him tight. "I'm glad you're okay, Link." She kissed him lightly and he went bright red. She giggled and Link smiled, kissing her on the cheek lightly. The two smiled and grew close, touching their lips together in a kiss. Mido watched and growled as he saw Saria kissing Link.

"This is just terrible…" Mido said as he watched.

Saria and Link broke from their kiss and smiled. "I love you, Link," Saria said, smiling.

"I love you, too, Saria." Link wrapped his arms around her and smiled for a moment. He then turned his head to look at the Deku Tree. "Great Deku Tree, we defeated Ghoma! The curse is gone! Please, if you're still alive, then answer me!"

"I am still alive, Link," the Deku Tree spoke. "Well done, Link and Mido. Thou hast broken the curse that was placed upon me. It seems, though, that my life will not go back to normal."

"No, you can't die!" Link spoke, tears forming in his eyes again. "Please, no, don't die, not after I fought so hard. Please, Great Deku Tree, don't die!"

"Link, listen to me. Before you killed Ghoma, I saw a vision of the one who put the curse upon me. Ghoma, too, was under a curse, placed on her by a black knight from the desert. He uses frighteningly evil powers in his attempt to fulfill his desire, the desire of every man, to gain hold of the Triforce."

"T-the…Triforce?"

"Yes, Link, the Triforce. The sacred triangles that keep the power descended from the gods of Hyrule from time immemorial. They possess the power to create the world reflected in the heart of those who touch it. If a person with a pure heart touches it, it'll be a just world. If a person with a devilish heart touches it, it'll be a world conquered by evil. A horrible crisis is drawing near to Hyrule, that devilish person must not touch the Triforce! However, with your courage, perhaps you can destroy his ambition."

"I can't fight such a man, though. I just…can't. Why does it have to be me?"

"You can, Link!" the Deku Tree spoke. "Learn, Link. Learn of the outside world, and grow. Now, go to the Kingdom of Hyrule There you shall find the Princess of Destiny, the one chosen by the gods, Princess Zelda. Take this stone and give it to the Princess. Take the Spiritual Stone of Forest, the stone man wanted so much that he cursed me to get it." A green emerald appeared in Link's hand. A golden root swirled off the emerald and into a point at the bottom. "I believe in you, Link, and so do your friends. Navi, watch over the boy, assist him in his needs. I ask this of you. Good-bye…everyone…"

The Deku Tree grew dark and his leaves began to fall. The Kokiri burst into crying as they looked upon the thing they had hoped never to see. The Great Deku Tree was now dead. Saria closed her eyes, turned, and ran off, tears flying as she ran. "Saria!" Link shouted, but he didn't move. He sighed and looked down. He looked up at everyone for a moment. "Mido, give me your sword for a moment."

"Umm…okay…" Mido said and handed him the sword. Link cut a part of the Deku Tree's roots off and cut it into a shield. The symbol of the Spiritual Stone of Forest appeared on it.

"Let's go!" Link spoke, a smile on his face. He stood to his feet, the shield in his hand and the sword in his other hand. Mido blinked, realizing something now.

"Take the stupid sword!" Mido shouted. "Keep it!" he shoved the sword at Link. "Take it, and never come back!" Link closed his eyes, feeling rather rejected as of now. "I never want to see you again! No one does! Get out of here!" Link turned and ran off, heading across the bridge to get out.

"So…you're leaving…" a voice said from behind. Link turned, seeing Saria behind him.

"S-Saria?"

"Yes, it's me, Link." Saria walked forward, hugging Link. "You come back once you've completed your mission, okay?" Link nodded. "I'll be waiting here." The two grew close and kissed. They stood there, not breaking from the kiss. After a moment, though, they knew they had no choice but to break from it, and so they did. "Being with you gives me a wonderful feeling, Link. Please, come back once your mission is done. Take this Ocarina with you." She pulled an ocarina from her pocket. "When you play it, remember me, all right?" Link nodded. Saria hugged Link tight, not wanting to let go. "Remember, Link, I'm always with you."

Link hugged her tight as well. After they broke from the hug, Link took the ocarina into his hands and put it into his pocket. "I'm always with you, too. I'll come back to you, I promise."

"I know you will," Saria said.

"Good-bye, Saria."

"Good-bye, Link." Link turned and ran off, leaving the forest. "I love you!" he shouted.

"I love you, too!" Saria shouted back. She stood there and watched then turned and walked back into the forest, slapping Mido upon entry. She slapped him so hard, in fact, that he was knocked onto the ground. She then walked to her house and laid down inside. She still felt the feeling Link had given her when they kissed. "I'll wait for as long as I have to, Link, even if it's an eternity." She then closed her eyes, somehow managing to fall asleep.


	2. The Princess of Destiny

******Chapter 2**: The Princess of Destiny

"I…can't…go…on…" Link spoke and fell to the ground, exhausted. He had been walking for a good two hours now, and was starting to get hungry. He looked around for a moment. "Need…food…can't…continue…"

Navi bopped Link on the head. "Shut up, Link! Just keep going!"

"I can't Navi!" Link shouted. "I'm exhausted, hungry, and most of all, I miss Saria!"

"Saria, that's all you've been talking about since we left. "Saria this, Saria that" that's all I've heard from you since we left, and I'm sick of it! If it weren't for the fact that I gave the Great Deku Tree a promise that I'd watch you and help you, I'd leave you!"

"Fine! I don't care! Leave me if you want to!" he shouted, then went back to his out of breath position. Navi growled. Just then, a large wagon started to come into view. "What's…that?" he asked. After a moment, his eyes widened. "Food!" he shouted and ran forward towards the wagon, only to stop when he saw the four horses that were pulling it. "Ack!" he shouted and brought his arms in front of him. The wagon stopped right in front of him, the horses barely missing him. Link opened his eyes and looked forward. "That was close," he said.

"Hey, there, kid!" a voice shouted from the wagon. "What are you doing way out here on your own?"

"Uhh…I'm on my way to the Kingdom of Hyrule and to the castle within it. Could you help me get there?"

"Absolutely, I'm headed there myself, so hop onto the wagon and I'll give you a ride." Link nodded and walked to the wagon, hopping on. He looked at the driver, who was partly bald. He was a large man in weight, and he had farmer-like clothing on. The man looked to Link for a moment then used the reigns in his hands to get the horses going again. Link looked around, smiling. "Wow, this place is huge!"

"Yes, it is pretty big," the driver said. "The Hylian plain is the largest place in the entire land of Hyrule. You'll never cross it without a horse or some sort of transportation. If you try to, it'll take you days just to get to Kakariko Village. There really isn't any other place to go other then the Gerudo hideout to the northwest and the forbidden forest to the west. Take some milk if you'd like, you look hungry."

"Thanks, mister." Link grabbed a bottle of milk and drank it all down in one gulp. He then looked to the driver. "Why is it called the Forbidden Forest?" Link asked.

"Because, anyone who goes in there dies. About ten years ago a mother, and her child went in there, neither came out, not even the horses they were riding."

Link's eyes bulged when he heard that. "Wow!"

"Yeap, ten years ago, that's about the time you must have been born. You look like your ten, maybe 11."

"Wow…" Link blinked for a moment. "Hey, my name's Link, what's your name?"

"Talon's my name. I own Lon Lon Ranch just south of here. That's where I came from in fact. I'm on my way to deliver milk to the castle."

'All right! So you and I are headed in the same direction! Let's go then!"

"Whoa, there, Link. I'm just taking you to the Market. If you want to get to the castle, you'll have to get there yourself. I can't take anyone inside without permission from the guards, and permission is something I know they won't give me. I can hardly get in there myself these days!"

"That's not good…" Link sighed. "Well, I'll just have to find another way in, then…" He looked up for a moment.

"Hey, Link, look, we're here!" Talon spoke and Link looked forward. His eyes widened when he saw what was in front of him. Before his eyes was an enormous gate with an extended drawbridge. Above the gate was a huge symbol that looked like the Triforce. Link was amazed when he saw the symbol of the gate.

"Wow!" Link shouted, staring at the symbol. It seemed to glow as he grew closer to it, but no one else seemed to notice. He looked forward, looking into the market. He smiled, hopping off the wagon once it crossed the drawbridge. He looked around for a moment, smiling. "Wow, this place is huge! There's so many people here!"

"Yeah, it's real nice, now come on, we got to get to the…" Navi stopped her sentence when she looked at Link. He was drooling and staring at a stand full of food. "Oh no you don't!" Navi shouted.

"Food!" Link shouted and grabbed a bunch of the food off the stall, stuffing his face. "It's so good! It's better then the fruit in the forest!" He continued to stuff his face when a man came up to him.

"Ahem, I do hope you plan to pay for all that," the man said.

"Pay?" Link blinked, not sure what the man was talking about.

"Yeah, pay, you know, with money?"

"Money? What's…'money'?"

"This kid's a thief! He must have something!" another man spoke.

"Yes, well, you do have something nice," the first man said, taking the Emerald from Link's pouch.

"Hey! Give me back that stone!" Link shouted, Navi just blinked and watched.

"I ain't getting in that," Navi said, sighing.

"Give him back the stone!" a voice shouted. "I'll pay you!" It was a girl about Link's age. She had long blonde hair and wore clothes that looked kind of like pajamas. From her pouch she took a rather large, orange gem.

The man's eyes went wide when he saw it. "Two hundred rupees!" he shouted. "How did you get your hands on that sort of money, little girl? A beggar's kid could never have this kind of money! You must have stolen it!"

"I did not! I earned that money fair and square!"

"A beggar's child? Having this kind of money? Impossible! How could you possibly have earned this much, Marin?"

"I did what I could to help others out, and it got me that. Now, either give him back the stone and take the rupee, or I'll send some guards at you for stealing this boys stone!"

"Stealing? Hardly!" the man spoke rather harshly. "This boy has consumed three hundred rupees worth of food! Two hundred won't do it!"

"Fine," the girl, who's name appeared to be Marin, spoke. She reached into her pouch again and pulled out another large, orange rupee. "Will four hundred rupees be enough?" The man's eyes went wide and he tossed the stone back to Link. He took the two rupees and gave the girl a glare. He then walked back to the stall. "Sorry about that," she said as she approached Link.

"It's okay," Link spoke, smiling. "Thanks, though. I was hungry, and I've never heard of money before."

"Your welcome, I'm always glad to help people out." Marin took Link's hand.

"What's your name? It sounded like one of the guys called you 'Marin'."

"That's because he did." Marin smiled. She turned only to notice someone coming. She quickly hid behind the fountain as a person approached Link. The person was a tall girl and she looked rather old, yet young at the same time. She wore silver and blue armor that covered her body. She had short gray hair as well.

"Boy," the girl spoke, "have you seen a small noble girl that has blonde hair anywhere around here?"

"Noble?" Link blinked. "No, I haven't, sorry. Why?"

"Because, I can't find her. I'll just keep looking, then." The girl walked off and Link just blinked a little more.

Marin walked back in front of Link. "That was a close one…wait here," she said and walked off, heading to a nearby food stall. After a moment she came back, a bag filled with food, maybe a little overfilled for that matter. "I bought some food," she said, smiling. Link fell over when he saw that she had over filled the bag so much the food went over her head. She giggled. The two of them then sat down for a meal.

"So, do you know a girl named Princess Zelda?" Link asked, his mouth stuffed with food.

"Yeah, I know her. She and I are great friends! In fact, I have proof. Take a look at this, Zelda gave it to me." She pulled out a small blue Ocarina. Upon it was the symbol of the Triforce.

"An ocarina? Hey…this mark…it looks like…the Triforce…"

"Oops," Marin spoke and quickly snatched the ocarina from Link's hand. "Now, then, are you ready?"

"Yeap, let's play." The two then ran off, stopping at a place that had a huge sign.

"'Bombchu bowling'?" Marin read. "What's that?"

"Let's find out," Link said and took Marin inside.

"Welcome," a girl spoke from a nearby counter. "This is the bombchu bowling gallery, want to play?"

"Sure!" Marin spoke in excitement. She paid the girl fifty rupees and got several bombchus, small rat-like machines. She placed one on the ground and it launched off towards the wall, exploding when it reached it. "Cool!" she shouted.

"So, about Princess Zelda, is she beautiful?" Link asked, a bombchu in his hands.

"Well…" Marin spoke, aiming her next Bombchu.

"Or maybe she's a big ugly pig!" Marin got mad at that and when she placed the Bombchu down, it went straight for Link, exploding on impact with him, causing the one in his hands to explode. Link stood there, strangely enough, he had only been knocked out instead of blown up.

"Oops," Marin spoke. "Serves him right, calling me…err…Zelda a pig." The girl behind the counter just laughed as she watched. Marin walked over to Link and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him out. After a moment, Link woke up, now in a strange shop. There were masks everywhere, and he didn't know where he even was. He sat up, looking around. "Well, you're finally awake!" Marin spoke, smiling.

"Hey, Marin," Link spoke, smiling.

"Look at these, Link." Marin showed Link a mask that looked much like a hood with two bunny ears sticking out of it. She then showed Link another mask that was rather strange looking. It had red marks all over it, but it was mainly white, and had a large eye in the center of it. The eye just seemed to stare at Link. Link felt rather uncomfortable looking at that mask.

"That's a…rather…uncomfortable mask…" Link spoke, slowly. He could swear that the eye of the mask was looking right into his soul.

"Uncomfortable?" Marin blinked. "Why is it uncomfortable?"

"Because, it's staring at me…" Link moved away from the mask, but he could swear that it was following him with its eye.

"Aww…" Marin tossed it to Link. "Put it on, I'm sure you'll like it more if you try it on."

Link quickly flipped the mask over when it landed on his lap with the eye gazing up at him. "Yeah…sure…I…guess…maybe…" Link placed the mask on and looked around with it. Everything seemed strangely different now. Marin giggled and put the bunny hood on her head, then grabbed Link's hand and the two ran off and out of the shop. "What was that place, anyway?" he asked.

"The Happy Mask Shop. That's where all the masks are sold here in Hyrule. You're a strange little boy, to not know anything of Hyrule. Where are you from?"

"I'm from the forest! I'm a Kokiri!"

"A Kokiri, huh? Then…that green, shining stone is…the Kokiri Emerald?"

"Yeah, but I can't let anyone except Zelda have it, that's why I need to see her."

"I see…well, Link, the truth is…I'm-" Before she could finish her sentence, two people with large pointy swords came into view. They were both girls, adults that seemed to come from the desert. Their skin was dark and they wore clothes that you would usually find on a person from the desert. They all had dark red hair and had an evil look in their eyes.

"Girl, we now who you really are! Give us the Ocarina of Time!" one of them shouted. Marin gasped and Link growled. "Give it to us, now, or we will kill you to get it!"

"You won't kill anyone!" Link shouted and drew his sword.

"Ah, a pathetic boy seeks to fight us? Fine, prepare to die, kid!" The girl attacked Link with her swords, her swords colliding together with Link's sword.

"Link!" Marin shouted and looked at the other girl.

"Give us the Ocarina of Time!" the other girl spoke to Marin. Marin slowly stepped back, attempting to get away. She turned and ran into the nearby alley and the girl followed her. After a moment, the girl shot from the alleyway, landing on her back. The other one turned away from Link and ran into the alleyway, the same thing happening to her. Marin blinked as she saw both of them get tossed out, then noticed who had done it.

"Princess," a girl spoke from in front of her. It was the same girl that had been first looking for the little noble girl. It was the girl with the gray hair.

"Impa," Marin smiled. "Thank you for saving me." She hugged the girl now known as "Impa".

"Your welcome, Princess Zelda." Marin closed her eyes and fell asleep, Impa picking her up and carrying her off.

Link ran through the alleyway, looking around. "Marin!" he shouted. "Marin! Where are you!" He stopped and looked to the ground, seeing something on the ground. He bent down and picked up a small ocarina, the same one that Marin had showed him. "She dropped the Ocarina the princess gave her…well, I guess tomorrow I'll just have to take a trip to the castle." Link walked off.

The next morning, Link walked towards the castle. "Here we are, Navi, the castle of Hyrule. You have to be quiet, alright?"

"Gotcha, quiet as a mouse!" Navi said. Link nodded and walked over to the gate, climbing it quickly.

"Here's where we begin to sneak around." Link walked to the side a little, where he found a ladder leading down to the other side of the gate. He climbed down and looked around. He quietly snuck forward, ever watchful. He quickly darted forward when a guard began to come his way. He hid behind a nearby rock and watched, quietly.

"Anything, Tamo?" one of the guards spoke.

"Nothing, Hiroki," the guard that Link saw said. He was pretending that he hadn't seen Link. "No one ever tries to get through here, anyway. I mean, NO ONE would be stupid enough to sneak around here. After all, there is that LARGE GROUP OF GUARDS nearby."

"Large group of guards!" Navi shouted.

"Hush!" Link shouted and knocked Navi over the head with a pebble. He quickly looked back at the guards, who had heard Navi's shout. Tamo looked around for a moment, trying to find the source of the shout. He then looked at the rock Link and Navi were hiding behind. Tamo began to walk towards them and Link quickly darted away.

"Someone's trying to sneak into the castle!" Tamo shouted. "Get him! Don't let him get away!" Link ran quicker, now, trying to escape. "Come here you!" Tamo reached forward and grabbed Link. Link flailed his arms as he was lifted by the back of his tunic. "I got you now, you won't get away from me." Link growled and pulled out his sword, slashing at Tamo's arm. He felt the blade touch his arm and he quickly let go, a small cut on his arm now. "Why you little rat!"

"Let's get out of here!" Link shouted and the two quickly ran forward. He ducked for cover behind a rock and Tamo growled.

"Where'd you go, you little rat?" Tamo walked forward, looking around. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." He continued to walk forward. Link quickly stuck out his foot and tripped him, making him land square on his face. Navi laughed and Link quickly stood to his feet and ran off, disappearing from view before Tamo could finally get up.

"Wow, that was close, Navi," Link said, sighing. "As long as we aren't spotted again, we'll be fine." Link walked forward, ducking for cover behind whatever he could find. He then looked forward, seeing a large field, which he had to cross to get to the castle; there were guards, but nothing to keep them from seeing him. "Well, we're just going to have to run for it."

"You sure you want to do that, Link?" Navi asked. "What if we get caught again? We'll be dead meat!"

"It's a risk I have to take," Link said and ran forward across the field. The guards didn't notice him as he ran by them, soon reaching the end of the field and climbing up a small nearby mound of dirt. He walked forward once he was on top of the mound, noticing the mound was solid, and the other side went down into a moat. He quickly did a front flip into the moat, landing safely. He sighed as he floated on the moat for a moment, watching the sky. "Finally, I'm at the castle."

"Don't get too relaxed, Link," Navi said. "We may be at the moat, but that doesn't mean we're safe. We need to cross the moat and get inside still."

"I know, Navi." Link quickly moved and swam to the other side of the moat and climbed out. He stood there, soaked. He looked around for a moment and sighed. "Now, how do I get in?" He blinked when he saw a small hole into the castle on the other side of the moat. "Of course…" He quickly jumped across the moat, landing next to the hole, then crawled under it and into the castle.

"Finally, Link, the courtyard! You're in the courtyard!" Navi shouted, but then covered her mouth.

"Quiet!" Link spoke in a loud whisper.

"Sorry, Link," Navi whispered back. Link quickly hid behind a nearby wall and turned his head so he could see what was on the other side. "Guards, and lots of them. How are we going to get passed them all?"

"We be very quiet, and run very fast." Link watched as one of the guards made his route, then turned and walked off to a small spot where he watched for a moment. "Let's go." Link waved to Navi and the two quickly began to move across the room, hoping not to be spotted. They made it to the other side, and quickly hid nearby.

In the next area they saw two guards, making their rounds around a large fountain. Link swore under his breath and Navi gasped. He smacked himself, but softly. He then dashed across the area, stopping in the middle, watching the guards go onto the other side of the fountain. He then dashed forward, making sure he wasn't spotted.

Again he hid nearby, watching the guards make their rounds. They were now circling two smaller fountains, and Link quickly made a mad dash into the center of the two. He waited until the guards were gone and couldn't see him, then quickly dashed forward into the next area, where, once again, he hid nearby.

"This is getting insane," Navi whispered. "There's way too many guards here…"

"I know, Navi, but we have no choice but to hurry." The next area was a large area with a small block of bushes growing in the center. He quickly made a dash into the bushes, hiding and watching. A guard was circling the bushes, and it was getting late.

"This is getting way too dangerous…" Navi whispered.

"I know, Navi, I know." Link quickly made a mad dash from the bushes and into the next area, hiding somewhere nearby. "That was close…too close."

"My heart's pounding, let's go home." Navi spoke in a terrified whisper.

"It's okay, Navi, we're almost out of here. We'll be in the castle in no time." Link looked ahead to see what he could see. Again, he swore under his breath.

"What did Saria tell you about doing that, Link?"

"Shut up, Navi!" Link spoke in a loud whisper.

"Well, that was rude!" Navi spoke in a loud whisper.

"I don't care. I need quiet if we plan to make it through here! So, shut up!" Link spoke in a loud whisper and Navi sighed and hid under Link's hat.

"Fine, I'll shut up, but you know what, I'm going to just hide…err…lay down inside your hat." Navi flew into Link's hat.

"Fine by me." Link then looked forward. "Here goes nothing." The room he now faced was a huge room filled with bushes. Four guards circled the bushes, and Link wouldn't be able to make it through here safely. He quickly dashed forward into the bushes, moving through them quietly until he reached the end of them. He then waited for a moment until the guards passed by him. He then made a mad dash forward and into a nearby archway, entering a large garden.

"Is it over?" Navi asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, we're out of the courtyard, Navi," Link responded in a normal voice. Navi gave a sigh of relief.

"So, you're here," a voice spoke from nearby.

"It's a ghost!" Navi shouted. "Run for your life! Women and Fairies first!" She mad a mad dash into the courtyard, meeting a guard face to face. "Heck no! I'm not going that way!" she shouted and quickly flew away into the garden again. The guard just blinked as he saw her. He just ignored it and continued on his routine. Navi quickly hid back into Link's hat again, trembling in fear.

"I'm no ghost, silly," the voice said again. "You remember me, don't you?" Navi blinked, the voice sounding familiar.

"Marin?" Link asked and looked around.

"Marin's a ghost!" Navi shouted. "The princess has killed her own friend! Help me, goddesses!"

"For the last time, I'm not a ghost!" Marin then appeared into view. She was dressed differently, now, though. She was wearing a purple dress now, and it looked like the dress that a princess would wear. She smiled as she looked up at Link. "Welcome, Link, my name is Princess Zelda. I believe we've met before."

"M-Marin?" Link blinked for a moment. "You mean…y-you're…Princess Zelda?"

"Yeap, I am Princess Zelda. Marin is the name I use when I go out among the marketplace with my pajamas on. I only do that every once in a while, though. Like yesterday, I did that." Link nodded. "So, you needed to give me the stone, then?"

"Yes, the stone and you dropped this." Link handed Zelda the ocarina.

"Oh, the Ocarina, I didn't even realize I dropped this. Thank you for bringing it to me."

"You're welcome," Link said, smiling. Zelda pocketed the ocarina, and just in time, too. A man walked around the corner into the archway that led to the garden. He walked forward towards Link and Zelda, an evil smirk on his face. The man had blood red hair and dark brown skin. His armor was black and he had a sinister look in his eyes. He also had gauntlets upon his hands, and he slowly walked close to them.

"Greetings, Princess Zelda, I have come to meet with your father," the man spoke.

"Sir Ganondorf, how ill-mannered of you to enter this garden without permission," Zelda spoke.

"I beg your pardon, Princess," Ganondorf spoke. "Glory would be if you allowed us to join into a union with Hyrule. There is no country as beautiful as this, and no princess either."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Sir Ganondorf, other then thrown out. Step away from me, now." Ganondorf bowed and Link just watched.

"As you wish, your highness. Although, one thing. The secret treasure passed down through the Hyrule royal family, the Ocarina of Time. You have it don't you? Perhaps you can show it to me sometime."

"I know not of what you speak of, Sir Ganondorf, although I did hear the same thing from the rogues that attacked me yesterday. Could they be acquaintances of yours?" Both Zelda and Link gave Ganondorf a glare. Ganondorf looked over to Link, their eyes catching for a moment. Ganondorf's eyes grew cold and had an angry look on them as if saying, "I'll get you soon enough." He then turned and walked off.

"Who was that, Zelda?" Link asked.

"That was Ganondorf, the head of the Gerudo tribe that live in the deserts to the west. He may swear allegiance to my father right now, but I can sense that he has a darker and more dangerous purpose then he is showing. I believe he wants the Triforce, which is in the Holy Land of this country."

"The Triforce! Then he must be the one that the Deku Tree spoke of!" Zelda sighed and sat down. Link sat down with her and looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"I had a dream. It was a frightening dream, in which black clouds overrode Hyrule. But then a line of light appears and cuts through the clouds, and shines upon the earth. There I see the image of a person with a fairy holding a stone with green light. You have a fairy, and the stone. Yes, I knew that you were the one that appeared in my dream from the moment I saw you."

Zelda closed her eyes and sighed before continuing. "I…I am frightened. Ganondorf has to be the black clouds that were in my dream. I feel that…that his evil heart will destroy Hyrule, but my father will not believe me, no matter how many times I tell him."

"I believe you," Link said. "The Great Deku Tree is dead now, because of his evil power." Link looked down. "The Kokiri Forest will surely die without the Deku Tree there."

Zelda let out a sigh. "You cannot allow Ganondorf to get the Triforce."

"I won't, Zelda. Tell me where the Triforce and the 'Holy Land' are."

"The entrance to the 'Holy Land' is said to be within the Temple of Time. However, the door is sealed behind a stonewall known as the "Door of Time". It is said that in order to open it, one must "collect the three spiritual stones and place them in their places in the temple. Then use the Secret passed down by the Royal Family and play the ancient melody of time."

"Two more stones, then. All right, I'll get them. Princess Zelda, you keep the Ocarina here with you, and I'll go get the stones. I'll be back once I have them."

"All right," Zelda said, smiling. "Then we together shall keep Ganondorf from taking the Triforce. We will get it before he does, then he won't be able to have it!"

"All right, let's do it!" Link shouted.

"Wait, there is one last thing I must tell you, the Legend of Hyrule." With that Zelda began her tale.

"Once upon a time, a time before there was earth and ocean, and of course, any life. Upon this chaotic world of Hyrule, three golden goddesses descended from the heavens. The Goddess of Power, Din, with her strong, flaming arms, she cultivated the land and built the red earth. The Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru, poured her knowledge into the earth and gave the world the gift of law. The Goddess of Courage, Farore, who, with her rich heart, gave life to those who would keep the law."

Zelda paused for a moment, then continued. "The three goddesses, their work complete, returned to the heavens. They left behind them the sacred triangle, the Triforce, and that place became the Sacred Realm. To protect the wish-granting Triforce from the evil hearted, the six ancient sages built a temple and sealed it at the gate of time. 'He who holds the spiritual stones, stand here and play the song of time, then the gate shall open.' This is the secret passed down by the Hyrule Royal Family. My mother told it to me before she died and told me not to tell it to anyone, nor about the Ocarina of Time"

Link blinked for a moment. "Are you sure it's okay to tell me such a secret, Zelda?"

"You believed me when my own father wouldn't. For that, I trust you greatly." Impa then appeared behind Link and tapped him on the shoulder. He gave a scream and fell back, being caught by her. "Link, this is my Nanny, Impa. Impa, this is Link, the messenger from the forest in my dream."

"Well, that's great," Impa spoke. "You shall do well, I hope. I am the one who is to protect Zelda; I saw everything that happened in the marketplace, yesterday. I saw through your little lie about not seeing Zelda, but I let it go, because I figured she may need some time on her own for once. I also saw the fight in the marketplace, yesterday. I must say, you were rather impressive. Enough training, and you'll be able to take on a whole army on your own."

"I don't know about that, Impa. I don't think I'll ever be that good."

"You will if you train enough. I also saw that you were a courageous boy that followed through with the Princess's wishes. It was nice of you to do what she asked you to do. It takes a lot to be able to do that and not get upset." Link rubbed the back of his neck.

"Aw, you can see through anything, can't you, Impa?" Zelda asked and Impa nodded.

"By the way, Impa, do you know where the other two spiritual stones are?" Link asked.

"I don't know where the Spiritual Stone of Water is held, but the Spiritual Stone of Fire, I have heard, is held by the chief Goron, Darunia."

"All right, then," Link spoke. "I'll go get the stones before Ganondorf can get them and I'll bring them back here."

"Right, then, to keep the Ocarina out of Ganondorf's hands, I will, likewise, do the same." Zelda smiled and kissed Link on the cheek. "Be careful." Link blushed a bit.

"I'll be back!" Link shouted, racing forward.

"What the heck is he!" A guard shouted when he saw Link dash forward at an incredible speed. All of a sudden, a loud crash was heard. "Ah! The Royal Urn!" he shouted. "Little sneak! Catch him!" Impa walked forward, and snatched Link from the arms of the guards.

"You never saw him," Impa told the guards as she walked away. They all blinked, and shrugged. "I'll just take him outside." She took Link up to the top of a huge tower and held him near the window. "Look, Link. Death Mountain. That is where the Gorons reside. We must protect our beautiful land of Hyrule. Link, wasn't it? The peace of this land rests on your courage."

"Don't worry, obasan, I'll save Hyrule!"

"Obasan!" Impa shouted and tossed him out the window. "Never call me that!"

Link screamed as he fell and landed on the ground. "I'm okay!" he shouted. He stood to his feet and ran forward. "Let's go, Navi, to Death Mountain! I wonder what Saria would say if she knew I was going to protect Hyrule."

Meanwhile, back in the Kokiri Forest. Saria got up from her bed and sighed as she walked out of her house. She looked around. "Has Link returned?" she asked one of the Kokiri.

"No, Saria, he hasn't," the Kokiri said. "I'm sorry. I know you miss him a lot."

"Don't worry, Saria, I'm here for you," Mido said with a grin as he stood next to Saria.

"Go away, Mido," Saria said, pushing Mido away from her.

"What? Why don't you like me!"

"Because you're a no good, lousy, stuck up brat! That's why!" Saria shouted and kicked him 'in the area where the sun don't shine.' Mido fell to the ground, in severe pain. Saria laughed and walked off. Mido growled, watching her. "Link, where are you?" she spoke, looking up into the sky. Saria pulled out her Ocarina and began to play it. The wind carried the tune to Link and he smiled as he listened to it.

"Saria, I'll be back, soon, I promise," Link spoke as he stood there, smiling.


	3. The Battle of Friends

A/N: This is a chapter of my own design. You won't find it in either the game or the comics. I will be having 2 of these sorts of chapters. Now, on with chapter 3!**  
**

**Chapter 3: The Battle of Friends**

It was a beautiful day in the land of Hyrule. The forest seemed to be rather noisy today as Saria awoke from her sleep. "God…what is all that noise!" she spoke and looked outside. "What the heck!" she shouted suddenly. In front of her was a huge drop. She turned and the room around her seemed to vanish. She found herself falling and she screamed.

Saria watched as her past went before her eyes. The day she met Link, the day the two knew they were in love, and even the times they kissed, hugged, and even the times they laid in bed together. She found herself floating, then carefully landing upon what seemed to be nothing. She looked around, seeing nothing at all. "Where am I?" she asked.

Saria took a step forward, and the ground beneath her split open, revealing the Triforce symbol underneath her feet. The room she was in glowed and water filled everywhere. Around her were six small pedestals, each with a different symbol on it. "Where am I?" she asked again. "Hello! Hello!" she called out.

"Hello, Sage Saria," a voice spoke, "I am glad you have come. The time of darkness is coming, prepare. I have a prophecy for you. Are you willing to listen?"

"Who are you?" Saria called out.

"My name is of no importance at this time. Listen to me! You must listen to the prophecy!"

"Tell me your name, and I'll listen."

"Fine. I am," a strange noise passed by as his name was spoken, "the Sage of Light."

"What did you say?" Saria asked. "I didn't hear you."

"I said, my name is," the same noise went by her ear again, blocking the sound. "Now that you know my name, it is time for you to listen to the prophecy."

"But…I couldn't hear you!"

"It does not matter. Listen to the words of the prophecy."

_'An evil shall enter, storms shall come, _

_Storms of evil, storms of rage, _

_Storms of hatred, greed, and anger, _

_A light shines forth from the forest, _

_The boy of destiny comes carrying the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, _

_Through many trials he endures, _

_Trials of Forest, trials of Fire and Water as well, _

_Trials from friends, trials from foes, _

_All these he shall pass, and the Secret Treasure he then holds, _

_He enters the 'Temple where time crosses paths' and opens the Door of Time, _

_He claims the Evil Slaying Sword, but alas the gate for evil he also opens, _

_Hyrule will then face its darkest time, _

_Do not fret, for lo, the Hero of Time awakens to complete his destiny, _

_He will awaken the sages who shall fight by his side, and evil shall meet its match, _

_The final battle shall come, and it is his destiny and his duty to win. _

_Should he succeed, Hyrule will be forever at peace, _

_Should he fail, Hyrule shall meet her fate.' _

"This is the prophecy I give you. Now, my child, leave this place until it is time for you to awaken." Saria found herself falling again, and she screamed, awakening in her bed. Cold sweat beaded down her forehead as she looked around. She panted for breath, and her heart was beating quickly.

Saria got up from her bed and walked to her door, looking around. She put her hand up to her forehead as she blocked out the sun from her eyes. "It's bright today…" she said, squinting to look around. She couldn't see anything, just the light from the sun. "Too bright…"

"Saria!" someone shouted, suddenly.

"Link!" Saria shouted, looking around even harder. She squinted even more to see anything, but she couldn't. She then felt a tap on her shoulder and she jumped, screaming loudly.

"Saria?" a voice spoke. "You okay?"

Saria kept squinting, still unable to see anything in her doorway. "Link? Is that you?"

"Yes, Saria, can't you see me?"

"No…" she turned her head, looking into her room. She felt like her eyes were burning now and she scratched at them. "My eyes!"

"Saria? What's wrong?" Link asked, kneeling next to her. He looked at her eyes and opened one of them. His face turned to a look of disgust. "Oh dear…" he said.

"What? What is it?" Saria asked. She was going crazy from the pain in her eyes.

"You're eyes…they're all red…" Saria's eyes went wide at this, and she quickly shut them felling pain.

"W-what's wrong with them? Why are they so itchy? Why are they red?"

"Don't worry, Saria. They're probably just really irritated. Just keep your eyes shut and don't touch them."

"I can't help it, though…they're itchy!" Saria went back to scratching at her eyes.

"It'll only make it worse." Link grabbed her hands and placed them on her lap. "Please, try and relax, Saria. You need to stop scratching your eyes."

Saria began to cry. "Why?" she asked. "Why does this have to happen to me?"

"I don't know, Saria, I don't know." He sat down behind her, placing her on his lap and wrapping his arms around her, rocking her. Saria continued to cry, and she soon turned around and placed her head on Link's shoulder. She continued to cry and Link sighed, wishing he knew how to help her. He just patted her back and rocked her, holding her close.

"I hate my life…" Saria said, still crying. "Bad things always happen because of me. First Ghoma comes because I saw that vision…the Deku Tree dies because of Ghoma…and now this…" she sniffled, trying to stop her crying, but it was of no use.

"It's okay, Saria. It'll be all right. It's only temporary. Your eyes will be fine by tomorrow." Saria kept on crying and Link sighed. "Don't worry, Saria, it'll be okay…"

The two of them stayed there for a good quarter of an hour before Saria soon cried her last. She couldn't cry anymore, and her eyes were even more irritated now. "Link…my eyes hurt so bad…" she spoke. "Make them stop…" Link sighed and moved Saria and kissed her right on the lips. Saria's eyes would have gone wide at that moment, if her eyes actually opened. She slowly entered into the kiss, adding passion to it. The two found themselves in a deep kiss, one they wished not to break. They broke from it, though, knowing they couldn't stay like that forever. "I love you, Link."

"I love you, too, Saria." They went back to kissing, Link's arms slowly going around Saria's waist. Saria's arms went around Link's neck as they kissed with all the passion and love they could give in the kiss. Hours seemed to have gone by, even though it was just a minute or two. They broke again, so they could breath.

"Link…we love each other so much…why don't we just prove it to each other?"

"No, Saria. You know we can't do that type of thing."

"We can now that the Deku Tree is gone."

"No, Saria, it wouldn't be a good idea." Saria nodded. "Besides, I think you'd like to be able to see what was going on, anyway." Saria nodded, and suddenly it seemed as if time slowed down. Link blinked as he looked around. Everything seemed to be going slower for some reason. "What the…?" He moved away from Saria, and she seemed to sit there in mid-aid, her arms floated there, as if still hugging him, but he wasn't there.

"Saria?" Link quickly turned, only to see two large eyes looking at him. They were attached to nothing at all. "Who are you!" he shouted.

"I am all," the eyes spoke in a whispery voice. "I am Link, Hero of Time. I am Rauru, the Sage of Light! I am Ganondorf, the Great King of Evil! I am everything! I am Darkness! I shall consume all!" The eyes touched Link and he let out a scream. They passed through him and into Saria. Link collapsed to his knees.

It was as if time had slowed again. He collapsed to the ground, as if in slow motion. He let out a scream as he felt pain in his chest, which seemed to expand into the rest of his body. He grunted as he tried to stand, but he couldn't, and found himself lying there on the floor of Saria's house. He looked to Saria, his eyes closed, and he went unconscious.

Two days later, Link awoke in his house, looking around. Saria was laying in his bed next to him, and Link blinked a little. He looked around for a moment, then back at Saria. "What's going on?" he asked. "Saria? Are you okay?" He shook Saria and she awoke slowly.

"Hey," Saria said, smiling. "You're awake finally. I was wondering if you were every going to wake up. You've been unconscious now for two days. I've been laying right here next to you the whole time you were unconscious."

"Really?" Link asked.

"Yeah, the only times I got up were when I had to go to the bathroom, or had to get some food or a drink. I really didn't move much, though. I guess the panic of you being hurt got to me so I wasn't hungry."

"Well, thanks for staying by my side, Saria," Link said, smiling. He hugged her and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

Saria giggled. "No problem. I'm always right here by your side." She smiled. Just then moonlight entered the room, and her face began to change. Her eyes glowed blood red and her teeth got long and sharp, like fangs. Her hands grew large claws, and her clothes ripped off as fur covered her body. She was a Wolfos, now.

"S-Saria…" Link stuttered and moved back, falling out of the bed.

"I shall get you, Link, no matter where you go!" Saria shouted, her voice had deepened and a lot. "I shall kill you!" She lunged at him with her sharp fangs and dug her claws right into Link's arm. He let out a scream and she laughed. She rose her hand claw above her head and brought it down on Link. Link screamed, closing his eyes. After a moment, he opened his eyes again, and Saria was no longer there.

"What the heck?" Link looked around for a moment. He looked at the cut on his arm and growled. He swore under his breath and stood to his feet. He walked outside and looked around. "What's happened to Saria?" He hopped down from his house and onto the ground below. He looked around; everything seemed strangely quiet.

Link walked forward, still clutching his arm. His arm was bleeding, and badly. He sighed as he continued to walk around, searching for any sign of the Kokiri. He found himself back at the Great Deku Tree, and he looked up. "Great Deku Tree…what's going on? Why is this place like this? Great Deku Tree…why do I have to be the one to carry the stones?" He looked at the tree, wishing for an answer, but he knew he wouldn't get one.

"You were wrong…you weren't going to tell me when the time was right…you're dead…and you knew you were going to die! You didn't want to tell me at all! You hated me, didn't you! You hated me, and you wanted me to go for life without knowing anything!" Link punched the tree. "I hate you…I hate you! Do you hear me? I HATE YOU!"

"Link!" a voice shouted. It was very familiar. He turned and looked at where the voice was coming from and saw Saria standing there.

"S-Saria?"

"It's me, Link. I'm sorry about before. You see…without the Deku Tree here, there is a curse on the land. We become Wolfos whenever the moon is full, and is shining." She pointed up. "At this very moment, the moon is blocked by the clouds. You must get out of here before the clouds move." She walked forward and hugged him. "Please, Link…"

"I can't go anywhere…my arm is bleeding because of you…"

"I'm sorry…" Saria touched the cut on Link's arm and it healed instantly. "Hey, Link, where's Navi? I haven't heard from her or seen her at all today."

"Oh, Navi didn't want to come in, she said something about the forest scared her…maybe she was right…I shouldn't have come…"

"No, Link, it's okay. At least you got to see me, right?" Link nodded. "That's all that matters. I love you, Link, and the Deku Tree did, too." Saria wrapped her arms around Link's neck and kissed him on the lips. Link was a bit shocked by this sudden move, but he soon relaxed and began to kiss her back, wrapping his arms around her waist.

The two of them stood there for a moment, not doing anything more then just kissing. They slowly pulled away from the kiss, their eyes still closed. Link opened his eyes slowly and looked at Saria, who was doing the same thing. They stared into each others eyes, and Link thought he would never be able to pull away from her unless he did it right at that time. He didn't care, though, and he just kept looking into her eyes, feeling like he was lost now, but he was lost with her.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, which pulled Link and Saria's attention away from each other quickly. In front of them was a large Wolfos, snarling at them. Drool was coming from his mouth and it looked like it was ready to attack. "Saria, get behind me," Link said, pushing Saria behind him and drawing his sword from the case on his back. "Who are you? Are you a Kokiri? Or just a normal Wolfos?"

The Wolfos roared and snarled, raising its claws for the attack. "Fine…" Link quickly did a front flip and brought his sword down on the Wolfos back. It roared in pain, and collapsed to the ground, returning to its true form. It was one of the Kokiri girls, and Link knelt down, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, friend." He put his hand to his heart and took a moment of silence for the loss of his friend.

He stood up after a moment and looked to Saria. "Saria…the clouds haven't moved from the moon, yet, but one of the Kokiri was already a Wolfos. Why? I thought you said they only turned into Wolfos when the moon shined?"

"I don't know, Link. Maybe it's only me who changes when the moon shines…maybe the others are permanently like this…" Saria closed her eyes. She opened them after a moment and looked at the dead Kokiri girl that now laid on the ground, a small pool of blood around her stained the grass. She walked over and knelt down next to the Kokiri girl. "I'm sorry…"

The Kokiri blood was different from normal blood, as Link now noticed. The Kokiri blood was a different color. It looked like it was a strange shade of blue. Link looked at his arm, which still had some of the bloodstain on it. His blood was red. Maybe only the Kokiri girls had the strange blue blood, or maybe, he was different after all.

"Saria," Link said, looking to Saria, "I'm starting to really think I am different…"

"Why, Link?" Saria asked, blinking.

"Well, look, she has that blue blood, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, I have red blood. Look." Link held up his arm, which still had a little of the blood on it.

"Well, that's weird." Saria looked at the girl, then back to Link's arm. "That is very weird." She looked to the girl, then blinked to see her body gone. "What the…" she looked around for a moment. "Where'd she go?" She looked up, only to see herself face to face with a Wolfos. She let out a scream and Link quickly moved in between the two of them.

"Wolfos…are you the girl I just stabbed?" The Wolfos shook its head and roared. "What have you done with the body of that girl?" The Wolfos just roared and swung at Link. "Crap…" he did his front flip again, this time stabbing his sword right into the Wolfos skull. It roared in pain, then turned back into a normal Kokiri boy, his blood was also the strange blue color. "That settles it, I am different…"

"Maybe not, Link. Think about it. The ones that have the blue blood were Wolfos, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Maybe the blue blood is caused by the curse! You weren't here when the curse was put upon us, so you wouldn't have the blue blood."

"Maybe you're right…I know I'm different, but I just don't know how I'm different."

"Hey, don't worry, Link. Everyone is different. You're unique, that's all, and it doesn't matter why or how, just as long as you are." Saria hugged him. "Now, come on, we've got…to…" She collapsed to the ground, holding her stomach.

"Saria?" Link blinked, kneeling down next to her. "Are you okay, Saria?"

"I'm…changing…" she looked up, seeing the moon shining now. "Run…Link…" her voice grew deep. "Run…" Her eyes turned blood red again as hair grew on her. Her clothes ripped apart as she slowly transformed. Her hands changed back into the claws they once were, and her feet did the same. Her body changed into that of a wolf's body, and her face and head changed as well. She let a roar and a howl as her transformation finished.

Link quickly turned and ran as he watched Saria transform. It was hard for him, because he didn't know if the next Wolfos he would encounter would be her, and if it was, then she would probably die, just like the others. "Maybe I should just get out of this forest, then I won't have to worry about Saria getting hurt…unless she follows me…" He ran through the forest until he finally got out. He looked back and his hand clenched his chest. "Saria…" he said, and Navi blinked, seeing him.

"There you are!" Navi shouted. "I was getting worried! What happened in there!"

"Everyone's been turned into a Wolfos…even Saria…" Link looked at Navi. "You were no help! You're fairy magic probably could have changed the two Kokiri back, and I wouldn't have had to kill them! Without the Deku Tree, the Kokiri population just decreased by two, and if the Wolfos begin to fight each other, the population may decrease even more! Saria may even die!"

"Jeez! Don't blame me for those bakas getting themselves cursed!"

"Saria is not a baka!" Link shouted and grabbed Navi.

"Ack!" Navi shouted and Link began to squeeze her. "L…Link! I…can't breath…" Navi spoke, gasping for air.

"They're cursed! I should have been here! They're all cursed!"

"Link…! I…can't…breath…! Stop…squeezing…me…!" Navi choked out, then found herself slowly drifting off. Link quickly let go and Navi fell onto the ground, not moving at all.

"Navi?" Link blinked and knelt down, picking up her motionless fairy body. "Navi…Oh god…" He quickly looked around. "Oh god…I can't heal a fairy! What the heck am I supposed to do?" He looked around again, then swore under his breath once more. "I got to help her…even if she is a rotten, little…" he stopped his sentence and sighed. He sat down, looking at Navi.

"What am I going to do?" Link spoke. "I just…don't know…I've let everyone down…I couldn't help them…Navi…Saria…Mido…Zelda…Great Deku Tree…I've let you all down…" Link slammed his fist into the ground. "Darn it! Why do I have to do this! I'm just a boy! I can't fight a dark man all on my own! I'm nothing! I'm just a boy! You hear me? I'm just a boy! I can't do this!"

"Link," a voice spoke in Link's mind. "Link, you are more then a boy. You must see your destiny. Enter the forest, once again, and get ready. When you enter, you'll find yourself entrapped in one of the clues to your destiny, and your past. Enter, and embrace it. Embrace the Trial of Friends!"

"Who are you!" Link shouted.

"You'll find out, when the time is right, for now, you must go and enter the greatest trial that you have ever faced in your life."

Link growled. "Fine…but I won't hurt any of them, even if they are Wolfos!" He walked forward, walking back into the forest. "Wait…what about Navi!"

"Pass the trial, and Navi's life will be restored to her, fail, and all the Kokiri, the fairies, and the forest, will be destroyed."

Link's eyes widened. "No way! There's too much at risk! I won't do your stupid trial if it means that everyone in the forest dies!"

"If you do not, then they all die. Forfeiting a trial is like losing the trial. If you do not do, and pass, the trial, then the forest and everything that belongs to it, will be gone."

"But that's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair, deal with it!" The voice quickly disappeared and Link was left there, looking around.

"Great, I guess I have no choice but to go in…" Link stepped forward, walking into the forest, and soon reaching the village. "Hello?" he called out. "Hello?" He sighed and turned around, only to see himself face-to-face with a Wolfos. "Hi…are you Saria?" The Wolfos just roared and Link took out his sword, just in case. "Now, I don't want to hurt you…but I will if I have to."

The Wolfos roared and brought its teeth down on Link's sword. It pulled the sword away and tossed it behind it. It roared and Link's eyes widened, realizing he had no weapons now. The Wolfos looked down at him and roared, then bit down on his shield. "No!" Link shouted, attempting to pull the shield away from the monster, only to have the monster's teeth sink into the shield and take a good bite out of it.

Link let out a meep and quickly ran off. "I'm in trouble!" he shouted. He continued to run, then found himself tripping and waking up in his house. "What the…?" Link looked around, noticing he was now in his house. He then saw someone standing nearby his bed; the person's back was to him. He knew exactly who the person was. He smirked a bit. "Hello, Saria," he said.

"Link?" Saria asked, turning her head. She smiled a bit and Link just stared at her. "Well, I'm glad you're awake." She turned her head again and looked back down at her lap. After a moment, she placed some thread and a needle onto the bed, then turned, holding up one of her many green tunics. She placed it down on her lap and smiled. "I wasn't expecting you to have woken up, yet."

"Well, I'm awake, now," Link said, sighing. "Having to sew your tunics up?"

"Yeah, turning into a Wolfos tore my clothing, so I really had no choice but to sew up my clothes."

"Sounds like you had fun, then."

"If you can call it fun." Saria sighed and took the needle and thread back into her hands as she began to sew another one of her shirts. Link watched her for a moment, then, when she put the needle and thread down, he grew close to her and kissed her. Her eyes widened and she blushed some at the sudden kiss.

After a moment, Saria wrapped her arms around Link's neck, and kissed him deeply. Link wrapped his arms around Saria's waist and entered into the kiss, giving her as passionate of a kiss as he could. They soon found themselves falling back onto Link's bed.

A little while later, Link and Saria both emerged from Link's house. Saria's sleeves were torn off, but she didn't seem to mind. She looked to Link and kissed him again and Link's eyes widened a bit. He pulled away from the kiss and looked at her. "Wow, you're sure in a romantic mood, aren't you? I kissed you once, and you haven't wanted to stop hugging and kissing me for the last half an hour."

"I'm sorry, Link. I really missed you, though."

"It's okay, Saria." Link hugged Saria and smiled. "I'm always going to be here for you."

Saria smiled. "Thank you." She kissed Link once again, giving all the passion she could possibly give into it. Link slowly entered into the kiss, giving all the passion he could possibly give into it. The two found themselves kissing quite a lot that day, until the sunset. At sunset, they entered Link's house and Link sat down on his bed.

"You've kissed me so much today, Saria," Link said. "I'm surprised, actually. I never thought you would be like that."

"Well, you know how us girls are. We always surprise the men." Saria leaned forward and kissed Link on the nose, then grabbed his hands. "I have a good idea that I bet you'll like."

"What is it?"

"It's this." Saria took Link's hands and stuck them around her neck, and down a little into her tunic. Link quickly pulled his hands away, looking at her.

"Are you crazy, Saria? I can't believe it. I leave you for a couple of days and now you seem obsessed with me."

"I love you, Link!"

"I love you, too, Saria, but we don't need to do this to show our love to each other."

Saria sighed. "I guess you're right." She turned and looked outside. She gasped and fell back, being caught into Link's arms. She grabbed her stomach and roared a little. Her face changed again and she roared loudly. Her clothes ripped and her hands turned into large claws. He feet became claws as well, and she looked at Link. She howled as her transformation grew to a finish, her facing changing into that of a Wolfos.

"Oh god!" Link shouted. He quickly flipped over Saria and landed near the door. He quickly ran out of the door, only to see himself surrounded by Wolfos. One was white, like snow, which made him think it was Mido. The white one changed, and sure enough, Link's assumption was correct.

"I told you never to return!" Mido shouted.

"You! You changed at will!" Link shouted back.

"Yes, I have the power to change into a Snow Wolfos at will, the others I cursed to be my slaves during the night, so long as the moon was full."

"How dare you!" Link shouted. "You'll pay for this!"

Mido laughed. "Come now, Link. Do you really think you can hurt me?" Mido snapped his fingers. "Drago, kill him." One of the Wolfos roared and jumped at Link, only to find itself getting stabbed in the head by Link's sword, thus changing it back to a Kokiri, blue blood oozing out. Saria then jumped at him from behind and knocked him down onto the ground.

"Saria…" Link spoke, trying to breath. Saria had her claws right on Link's chest, and the weight of her was pushing down on his lungs. "S-Saria…remember…who you are…" he spoke, still unable to breath. Saria growled more as she looked at his face. She then got a calm expression on her face. She stepped off Link and looked at Mido. She growled and roared, jumping at him.

"NICE DOGGY!" Mido shouted at the top of his lungs. He then screamed and quickly began to run away, Saria chasing right behind him. "Nice doggy, nice doggy, nice doggy," he repeated over and over as he ran as fast as he could. Link couldn't help but laugh, until he realized all the Wolfos were still staring at him. "Uhh…"

The Wolfos growled at him, and half of them split off and ran towards Mido, trying to get Saria, the other half were waiting to see what Link would do next. Link gulped and slowly walked forward, drawing his sword lightly. "I-I don't want to hurt any of you…i-if you let me go…none of you will get hurt…" They all roared and attacked him. Link screamed, and found himself waking up in his house once again.

"What the…?" Link looked around for a moment and blinked. "Was that all a dream?" He stood to his feet and walked out of his house, looking around. It was morning, and the Kokiri were all normal. He hopped down his ladder and looked around. "Hello, are you alright?" Link asked one of the Kokiri.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" the Kokiri asked.

"Well, you were a werewolf last night…"

The Kokiri began to laugh. "Werewolf? Me? Yeah right! You've been asleep too long, Link. You've been up in that tree house for a week! Saria got so worried about you that she hasn't eaten or drank anything. She's in her house right now suffering from dehydration." Link's eyes widened and he quickly ran towards Saria's house.

"Saria!" Link shouted as he ran in, looking at her. "Saria!" He ran over and took her in his arms. "Saria, are you okay?" Saria didn't respond at all. Her eyes were open, but she wasn't moving at all. Her body had gone limp, and she felt cold to the touch. "Saria…" he waved his hand in front of her face. "Saria…please…no…you aren't dead…"

"Link!" a voice shouted from behind him. Link turned around and saw Mido standing there. In his hand was a bottle. In the bottle, was a glowing object, almost like someone's soul. Mido grinned. "Look at what I've got, Link."

"What's that?" Link asked, worried.

"It's Saria's soul, of course. She got so dehydrated, that I preserved her soul inside of this container. If you wish for her to live, then you'll need to complete a task."

"Complete a task? What task?" Link asked.

"A simple task, my friend. Beat me at the game of Warrior's Duel. Win, and you'll save Saria's soul. Lose, and well, let's just say, that a concealed soul has the power to destroy an entire forest if used correctly." Link's eyes widened.

"This is it, then, the trial I've been waiting for. Fine! I'll play your stupid game!"

Mido laughed a little, and snapped his fingers. In an instant, him and Link found themselves over a large burning pit, below them was a narrow path, just big enough for them to spread their legs out on, that was made out of a magical glass. "Welcome to your first game of Warrior's Duel. This game shall be your last." Mido picked up a Deku Stick nearby and grinned.

"A Deku Stick, Mido?" Link laughed and reached back for his sword, only to find it missing. "What the heck!" Link shouted. He saw his sword attached to a tree nearby. "My sword!"

"You're sword is attached to that tree. Step off the glass, and you lose the game. The Deku Stick next to you is what you will battle with."

"Fine," Link said, taking the Deku Stick in hand. "Let's battle, then." Link quickly swung his stick upward, trying to hit Mido, but he blocked it quickly. Mido took a swing at Link, hitting him on the head. Link moved a little, but kept himself balanced on the glass path. "So, you want to fight that way, huh? Well, then, here comes Link!" Link quickly stuck his staff onto the glass and swung himself around upon it, hitting Mido square in the face with his foot.

"Not fair!" Mido shouted.

"Life's not fair, deal with it!" Link spoke back, then quickly brought his staff into Mido's side. Mido quickly spun his staff around and blocked it, but barely. Mido then swung his staff around above his head, then brought it down in front of him, swinging it around in a circle like before. He quickly moved and knocked Link in the head.

Link let himself fall off the side, and quickly grabbed onto the side of the glass path. He swung himself forward, and around onto the other side of the path, knocking Mido over, and nearly knocking him into the pit. Mido turned, only to find himself hit in the head by Link's staff. Link then did a real quick move, and swung for Mido's legs, knocking him over.

"I'll get you for that!" Mido shouted. He stood to his feet, just in time to get jabbed in the stomach by Link's staff. He staggered back a little, grabbing onto his stomach. A moment's time later, Link's staff came up into his face, knocking him over, and onto the ground on the side of the pit.

"Mido is off the glass!" one of the Kokiri spoke.

"Link wins!" another Kokiri spoke.

"All hail Link!" yet another Kokiri said, and all of them began to cheer.

"I may have lost the duel, but the war is not over, yet." Mido grinned and quickly raised his hands. He mumbled a few words, and large orbs shot out at the Kokiri, striking them and turning them into Wolfos. Link's eyes widened when he saw this and he quickly ran forward, knocking Mido down and grabbing the bottle that held Saria's soul.

"You can't turn them all into Wolfos," Link said. "Not unless you have Saria's soul, or the curse, to do it. You have neither. The curse has already been broken, and Saria's soul is now in my hands."

Mido let out a scream when he saw all the orbs return to him and change him into a Wolfos. "By night a Wolfos, by day a Kokiri," Link said. "I free thee from the curse, so thee may never have to live life as a Wolfos." A beam shot from the bottle and hit the now cursed Mido. He changed back into Mido, and Link smiled.

Link turned and walked off, heading back to Saria's house. He opened the bottle and Saria's soul went back into her body. Saria breathed suddenly, then looked up at Link and smiled. "You saved me. I knew you would…" Saria sat up and kissed Link. The two just sat there and kissed for a good minute before separating from the kiss.

"Your kiss makes me feel warm. I love you, Link."

Link smiled. "And I love you, Saria." He grew close to her and kissed her once again. After a moment, the two emerged from Saria's house and Saria breathed in the fresh air.

"Magnificent. Absolutely magnificent," Saria said. "Now it's time…you must go on your quest once more…" She looked at Link. "Will I ever see you, again?"

"Of course, you will, Saria. Of course, you will. We'll see each other again when fate brings us back together."

"Fate…yes…but what is fate? Does fate like us? Does fate hate us? Why must we live such separate lives?"

"I don't know, Saria, I wish I knew, but I don't. I'm sorry. We will meet again, though, I promise."

"Really?" Saria asked.

"Yes, really," Link answered, smiling. The two shared one last deep, passionate kiss, and Link turned to go back onto his adventures.

"So, the boy has completed the Trial of Friends, has he?" a voice asked. "Perhaps this is the boy who will save Hyrule."

"Yes, he will," Saria spoke. "He is the true hero. Will I ever see him again?"

"Yes, you will, but not for a while."

Saria sighed. "All right…I'll wait for him every day until he comes back." The voice was already gone, leaving Saria standing there, alone. She sighed and went back inside her house, and there she waited until the day she would meet Link once again. 


	4. The Goron's Ruby

**Chapter 4: The Goron's Ruby**

Link arrived outside the forest, and looked around. "This is an enormous place, Navi," Link said. "It was nice of that man to give us the ride to here, but now what do we do?"

"I don't know, Link," Navi said, thinking.

"I wish there was some sort of horse nearby." Link took out his ocarina and began to play it for a moment. He then blinked when he saw something coming his way. He kept playing his ocarina; soon discovering that what was coming closer to them was a horse.

Navi's eyes widened when she saw the horse on its way to them. "Wow, Link! Look at that! Maybe wishing does work!"

"I don't think so…I think its just coincidence."

"Link, remember, nothing is coincidence, everything happens for a reason."

"Sure it does…" Link said sarcastically. He didn't believe that, not yet anyway. The horse soon reached him and he smiled. "Hey, horsy, can you take us to Death Mountain?" she asked the horse, then climbed onto it. He ordered the horse to go, and kicked at its sides. The horse quickly ran forward, dashing towards Death Mountain.

Meanwhile, at a small ranch in the center of the Hyrule Plain, a small girl walked around, calling a name. "Epona!" the girl called. "Epona! Where could that horse be?" The girl was pretty young, probably about the same age as Link. She had long red hair, and blue eyes. She wore a cream colored dress that had small designs on the edges of it. She had a bucket of milk in one hand, and her other hand was held up to her mouth. "Epona!"

Meanwhile, Link continued to race towards the mountains on his horse. "Wow, you're one fast horse!" The horse quickly rode into Kakariko Village and straight to the Death Mountain path. It quickly jumped over the gate that blocked the village from the mountain and the guard watched in awe.

After a moment, Link and his horse both began to climb the pathway up the mountain. It was a dangerous path, though, because at this very moment, Death Mountain was erupting. "The mountain…it's…it's…shaking!" Link shouted.

"The mountain is erupting!" Navi shouted. "We have to move, quickly! If we get hit by lava or by some of those rocks, we're in deep trouble!" Link rode forward on his horse. He was eager to get to where he needed to go. "Link! Look! There's a cave! We can take shelter there until the lava passes!"

"Navi, it's an active volcano! The lava isn't going to stop, not for a long time!" Link responded quickly.

"Well, it would at least let your body rest! If we stay out here too long, we'll die from heat exhaustion!" The horse neighed, as if in agreement. The horse quickly began to pull against Link and go to the cave. Link soon gave up and allowed the horse to take him to the cave. Once he was inside, he realized that he was in just the place he needed to be.

The cave was large and elegant. Beautiful paintings of strange creatures were all across the walls. All the creatures in the paintings were big, fat beasts that had rocks on their backs. Many of the paintings seemed to be of them celebrating with, what seemed to be, rocks as the main course.

The cave was enormous, and was at least four levels high. Link was on the highest level, and in the center, suspended by four large ropes, was a platform. Upon the platform was a pedestal, and on that pedestal was the carving of the symbol of fire. Link slowly walked across the rope and made his way to the pedestal.

"Hello!" a voice suddenly spoke. It scared Link, making him jump back, almost falling off. In front of him was a creature exactly like those in the paintings on the walls. "Did you come to taste the red rock?" the beast said. "I came all the way up here to taste it. I figured 'I'll just give it one lick, no one will notice.' But, by the time I got here, the red rock was gone. I believe Brother Darunia took it."

Link blinked. "Red rock?" "Darunia?" and "What are you?" were only some of the questions that came from his mouth. Link was so overwhelmed with questions that his brain started to hurt from thinking too much.

"I am from the race of the Gorons, a proud rock eating race. The red rock, the Goron's Ruby, the Spiritual Stone of Fire, is our most prized possession. I have heard from many other gorons that it tastes very sweet, and I wanted to taste it for myself, but it was gone. I believe Brother Darunia, our leader, took it and is now in his chambers, awaiting the messenger from the royal family."

"Where are Darunia's chambers?" Link asked.

"Down on the bottom floor. If you go down there, you'll see a big door with a rug in front of it. That's the door to his quarters. I warn you, though. Ever since the dodongo's cavern was closed up, he has been in a fowl mood. Our children are hungry, and we have no food to give them. It's all the fault of that dragon who lives there."

"Dragon?" Link blinked.

"Bah, I have spoken too much. If you wish to get more information, go see Brother Darunia. Even I am at my limits when it comes to knowledge about the goron life." Link nodded and carefully walked back across the rope. He explored the level he was on until he found a cavern entrance that had stairs going down. Link followed those stairs, finding himself on the third level.

Link was excited at this moment. He had always wanted to meet the "Historical Gorons" as the Kokiri called them. Not only had he met one of them, but he was going to meet the Goron leader. He couldn't wait, and began raising around, hoping to find another cavern entrance which would take him down another level.

Still he traveled, finally reaching the bottom level of the cave. He walked over to the door with the rug and pulled out his ocarina. "So, they need some proof from the Royal Family, huh?" He began to play the song that he remembered Zelda singing. The door before him opened and he looked up. "Yes! It worked!" He quickly ran in.

"Who are you!" a voice shouted at Link when he entered.

"M-me?" Link stuttered.

"Yes, you! Kid, what's your name!"

"I-I'm L-Link…s-sir…" Link stuttered out.

"Why are you here?"

"To ask for the spiritual stone of fire,"

"Fool!" the voice bellowed. "I shall not give the stone to just anyone! Where is the messenger from the royal family?"

"T-that's me…sir…" Link stuttered once again.

"You! You!" the voice shouted. "A child! What kind of trickery is this! Has my sworn brother, the King, really gone crazy enough to send me a child? What kind of trickery is this? Answer me! Who sent you!"

"P-princess Zelda…sir…"

"The princess sent you? She expects a boy to be a messenger of Hyrule?" the voice laughed.

"She's very confident in me! She expects me to be a great hero!"

"Hero! HA! You, boy, are nothing. You are no hero, and you never will be!"

"Oh yeah? Great words coming from a man who won't even show me his face!"

"You wish to see me?" the voice asked.

"Yes! I do!"

"Fine," the voice spoke. Soon, a goron stepped into view. The goron had a beard, and his hair was in all sorts of directions. "Get out of here, boy!"

"What's your problem!" Link shouted.

"What's my problem! What's my problem!" The goron hit his fist into the wall. "My people are starving because a rock blocks the way into the Dodongo's Cavern! A dragon lives within the cavern, and thus, even if we could move the rock, we still couldn't get in without being eaten! Our young are hungry! They will not eat rocks from any other place other then the Dodongo's Cavern. Worst of all, Death Mountain is erupting, so we cannot climb up it to ask the Great Fairy for guidance! This is only a small portion of our problem! But, this is a goron problem! Go away!"

"I can help you!" Link protested.

"Go away, foolish child! Go back to your home and play with your friends. Allow this dying race to live peacefully in our last few months of life before we all starve to death."

Link growled. "I can help you! What's your name, goron?"

"What's my name? Do you not know me? I am Darunia, chief of the Gorons!"

"Well, Darunia, I am Link, and I have come to aid you."

"Aid me? HA! We need no aid from meer children. Get out of my sight at once!"

"No! I will help you whether you like it or not!"

"Fine! If you wish to try, then go bring me the melody from which plays through that cave." Darunia pointed up to the second floor and to a cavern. "Bring me the melody, and play it for me, and I will allow you to aid me."

"Sounds good enough," Link said and ran off. He quickly took a flight of stairs up to the second floor and then stopped in the cave. He listened to the song that he could hear coming from the entrance. "That song…it sounds familiar…" Link continued to listen, then realized what it was. "That's Saria's Song!" Link shouted. Link began to play along with the music that was coming from the cave.

As Link played the song, the torches of the cave began to light up, and the frowns and cries of hunger from the gorons turned into smiles and shouts of joy. Many began to dance, and even the starving children were happy. Darunia couldn't help but crack a smile, and soon turned and re-entered through his door. His quarters were lit up rather well, and he sat in his chair happily.

Link returned to Darunia's chambers and looked at him. "I have the melody, Darunia."

"Do not fret over it, young one. I heard you playing from afar, and it brought a smile to my face, and the faces of many of the goron here. I shall grant you a chance to aid us. Take this bracelet. It will allow you to pick a bomb flower, and hopefully allow you entrance into the cave. Good luck, brave Link." Darunia handed Link a bracelet, which he put on. The bracelet seemed to change, and shrink to fit his arm. Link then dashed off to try to open the cave.

Link rode his horse up the mountain some more, much like before. Death Mountain had finished erupting for the moment, and soon Link found what he needed. "Ahh, perfect," he said as he hopped off Epona. He walked forward, staring straight at a bomb flower. The bomb flower was an amazing thing. It looked like a bomb, but it had petals, almost like a flower. He grabbed it and looked forward, seeing a huge rock blocking the way.

Link picked up the bomb flower, and its fuse lit almost immediately. He tossed the bomb flower forward, and, when it hit the rock, the bomb flower exploded. The top half of the rock blew off and Link smiled. "I've almost got it." He looked down at where he had just grabbed the bomb flower from. Another bomb flower had grown in its place. It didn't take them long to grow back, which Link was happy about. He picked it up and tossed it, and, when it hit the remaining rock, the rock exploded.

"Yes! I did it!" Link shouted. "All right, now if I remember right, Darunia said there was a…" he gulped, "…Dragon…in that…cave…" Link took a deep breath, and he climbed down to the cave. He walked in and looked around, the way forward was blocked by a large wall. Link sighed and swore under his breath. "I was so close…I got so far, but there's nothing even here…I don't understand…" The ground then began to crack under his feet and he looked down. The ground under his feet crumbled and Link screamed as he fell.

Link landed on the ground below. He was in pain from the fall, but he stood up carefully. He looked around, finding himself in a room filled with lava. He then heard a roar and turned around. "What the heck!" he shouted.

"Lizalfos!" Navi shouted.

"What have you been!" Link shouted at her.

"Under your hat…those gorons were scary…" Link rolled his eyes. "What!"

"You can handle monsters, but when we get to the gorons, you're afraid…"

"Well…yeah…umm…"

"Never mind! Just tell me how to beat this beast!"

"Right, Lizalfos…umm…" The Lizalfos gave a roar and swung his sword at them. Link quickly dodged and pulled out his sword. Navi examined the Lizalfos more, still unsure what his weakness was. Behind Link appeared another Lizalfos, and it roared as well. Link turned to see it, and his sword swung across the beast's chest, making it roar in pain.

"Never mind! They can be hurt normally!" Link shouted at Navi, then struck a heroic pose. He then swung his sword at the Lizalfos, making it roar again. The other Lizalfos quickly ran forward, swinging his sword.

"Link!" Navi shouted. Link twisted around in time to block the attack with his sword. He then stabbed the beast, and it roared, collapsing to the ground, dead.

"One down, one to go." Link turned to the other Lizalfos and its eyes went wide. Link ran at him and swung his sword, slaying the beast. "Well, that takes care of that…" Link looked around. He had no idea where he was, but wherever he was, he knew he still had to be in the Dodongo's Cavern. He continued walking through the cave, the lava lit the cavern rather well.

"Link…I'm scared…let's go back…" Navi said, shaking.

"Nonsense, Navi. We'll be fine. Remember, if I want to get the Spiritual Stone of Fire, I have to kill the Dragon in here. Surely he can't be that far from here." Link didn't know how right he was. In the very next room, he felt the ground cracking again. He looked down, too late. The ground crumbled and he fell again. He let out a scream as he fell, landing upon the ground.

"Link! Are you okay!" Navi shouted.

"No…I landed on my back…" Link spoke, rubbing his back.

"Umm…Link…"

"What!" Link shouted.

"Big…scary…monster…"

"Navi, stop kidding around." He rubbed his back, then laid back onto his back to let his back rest. He closed his eyes, then his eyes shot open as he saw a huge monster's head right above him. He screamed and quickly stood up. The monster let out a roar. It was him, the Dragon, King Dodongo.

"I told you!" Navi shouted.

"I should have listened!" Link shouted and quickly began to run. The monster roared again, showing its sharp teeth. The beast had rock-like skin, and had a long tail. The beast was huge, almost like a lizard made out of rock. It had a huge, very sharp horn on his head. The beast breathed in and his stomach expanded greatly. He then breathed out, breathing fire out of his mouth at Link. "It breaths fire, too!" he shouted, running even faster now.

King Dodongo roared and rolled into a ball. It rolled straight at Link. Link tripped and fell, quickly curling into a ball. King Dodongo rolled right passed him, then smashed into a nearby wall. "Gosh, he's dumb!" Navi immediately lit up.

"Link! That's it! King Dodongo is all brawn and no brain!" Link's eyes went wide.

"Of course!" he shouted. He looked around, quickly. "Bomb flower…have to find a bomb flower…"Almost like a miracle, he saw one. "There!" King Dodongo then appeared behind him, and Link felt his breath on him. "He's…right behind me…isn't he?" Link slowly turned around and King Dodongo roared. Link screamed and ran forward quickly. He reached the bomb flower and pulled it from it's place.

"King Dodongo! Come get me!" Link shouted. The bomb flower lit and King Dodongo began to quickly charge at him. Link quickly threw the bomb into the beasts mouth. "Eat this!" he shouted as the bomb flower landed in his mouth. King Dodongo swallowed it, then his stomach exploded. He roared and collapsed to the ground. "Yes!" Link shouted.

King Dodongo was defeated, and Link smiled. He quickly ran to the gorons to tell them. "You did it!" Darunia shouted, slapping Link on the back, rather hard. Link fell forward, holding his back in pain. Darunia laughed. "Everyone, let's go to the Dodongo's Cavern! We shall see if Link has truly completed his task!" The gorons gathered up and began their trip to the Dodongo's Cavern, Darunia held the Goron's Ruby in his hand.

When the gorons reached the cave, they noticed the rock was gone and they smiled. They continued walking, entering the cave. They went in and smashed down a wall they had made to keep the dragon inside. They noticed the crumbled floor where Link had fallen upon entry, just like he had said. They went deeper into the cave, soon reaching the second floor, where the two lizalfos laid dead.

So far Link's story held true, and the gorons continued their trip. They continued on, soon reaching where Link and King Dodongo had battled. Darunia smiled as he saw the dead body of the Dragon lying in front of them. "Let us rejoice! The dragon has been destroyed, and finally we may eat!" Darunia and the gorons danced for a while. Link joined in by playing his ocarina and playing the song Saria had taught him long ago.

"Link…" Saria spoke as she sat on a stump in the lost woods.

"Yes, Saria?" Link asked, standing next to her.

"This place…it's going to be important to us in the future sometime…I can almost guarantee it…I also feel like you're going to be leaving soon…"

"I'll never leave you, Saria," Link said, smiling. Saria smiled and began to play her ocarina. After a moment, she put her ocarina in her lap and looked at Link.

"Link, I want you to remember me when you play this song, okay?" Saria asked.

"I will, Saria. I'll play it every night before I go to sleep, and whenever I wake up. Afterwards, I'll be right there, waiting for you to come out of your house so we can enjoy the day together." Saria nodded and played her ocarina again. Link joined in, playing along with her.

Link remembered that moment when he played the song for the gorons. It was a special song, and he loved it, just like he loved Saria. He stopped playing, his face looked sad. "What's wrong, Link?" Darunia asked.

"Nothing…it's just…I miss her…"

"Who?"

"Saria…"

"Got yourself a girlfriend, huh?" Darunia smiled, nudging him. Link blushed a bright red. "It's okay. I understand how you feel. Here, take the Spiritual Stone of Fire, the Goron's Ruby. You earned it by destroying the dragon." Link smiled and took the Goron's Ruby. Darunia took Link and sat him on his shoulders. He then walked to the gorons and smiled. "Brother and sister gorons!" He spoke loudly and everyone looked to him. "From this day forth, Link shall be our sworn brother, and our hero." Everyone cheered.

"Thank you, Darunia…" Link spoke, smiling.

"Link, go now, go see your girlfriend." Link blushed again, then nodded. He hopped onto his horse and quickly rode off to the Kokiri Forest.

The next day, Saria awoke from her sleep, yawning. She laid in her bed, sighing. She missed Link greatly. "Link…" Saria spoke, closing her eyes again. Her eyes shot open when she heard someone playing the song that she taught only to her closest friends. She sat up and looked outside to see who was playing and her face lighted up. There he as, Link, her boyfriend. He was standing there, the ocarina in his hands as he played Saria's song. She giggled and Link opened his eyes.

"I told you I'd be standing here waiting for you," Link said, smiling.

"Oh, Link," Saria ran forward and hugged him, immediately kissing him. Link was caught off guard by this, and Saria realized it, quickly pulling away and blushing. Link smiled and pulled her close again, kissing her long and passionately. Mido, of course, watching with jealousy.

The two pulled away after a moment, and looked each other in the eyes. "I love you, Link," Saria spoke sweetly.

"I love you, too, Saria," Link said, smiling. The two kissed again and Mido growled. He tossed a rock at Link, but it missed, bounced off a nearby tree, and struck Mido right in the forehead. His eyes swirled as he laid there, a big lump on his head now. Link and Saria both laughed at him and walked off.

They enjoyed a day together once again, and at the end of the day, Link had a sad look on his face. "Link, what's wrong?"

"I have to go, again, Saria…"

"No, you can't go," Saria said, clinging to him. "I don't want to spend another day without you.

"I know, but I'm sorry…I have no choice…"

"Then I'm coming, too!" Saria spoke suddenly.

"What! You can't! If you leave, then you'll die! Kokiri can't leave the forest!"

"You did! I'm coming, too, and you can't stop me." Saria gave him a look and Link sighed.

"Okay…we'll leave tomorrow morning."

"You better not leave without me."

"I won't, Saria, I promise." Link kissed her.

"Okay," Saria smiled and hugged him. The two hugged, and soon, they went back to Link's house, laying down together once again. They loved each other, but little did they know that fate was getting ready to tear them apart, forever.


	5. The Zora's Sapphire

**Chapter 5: The Zora's Sapphire**

Link awoke the next morning. He rolled on his side and smiled, kissing Saria lightly on the forehead. Saria stirred a little, and Link shook her. "Saria," he said, it's time to get up." Saria stirred again, and Link smiled. He rose his mouth to her ear and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Link," Saria said sleepily. She then woke up, looking up at him. Link smiled and Saria smiled back.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Oh, Link…it wasn't a dream." She said, hugging him tight.

"No, Saria, it wasn't a dream. I am back, but remember, I have to go again. If you really want to come with me, you need to be ready in half an hour, okay?" Saria nodded. "This is a test. If you aren't ready, then you won't be able to go."

"I understand," Saria said, nodding. She smiled and hugged him, then got up and quickly ran to her house. Link smiled and got out of his bed. He looked around for a moment, then started to get ready to go. He strapped his sword onto his back, then went to the Deku Tree to make himself a new shield. After carving a new one, he was ready, and all he had to do was make sure Saria was.

"Saria?" Link asked when he got to her door.

"Link!" Saria shouted and hugged him. "I'm almost ready, please stay just a little bit longer…"

"It's okay, Saria, you still have a few minutes to get ready, it hasn't been half an hour, yet," Link lied. It had been over half an hour, but with the fact that he just finished carving his shield, he had a reason to be late on his own, so he figured he'd let Saria have a little extra time. Saria nodded and quickly went off to finish getting ready.

A moment later, Saria was ready to go. She had one problem. Unlike Link, she had no weapons to use, and without weapons, she wouldn't be much help. Link smiled and handed Saria a pouch and a slingshot. He smiled. "Here, Saria. I figured that since you needed weapons, you could use all of my long-range weapons. Slingshot, Deku Nuts, and anything else we may find that you can use."

"Thank you, Link." Saria smiled and hugged him.

"Hey, I can't let you go defenseless, now can I?" Saria shook her head and Link smiled. "Just be careful with them, all right?" Saria nodded. "All right. Do you need me to train you how to use them? I can train you on our way."

"I'd like that." Saria said, smiling. She leaned herself against Link and he wrapped his arm around her. The two walked out of the Kokiri Forest, and stopped at the bridge that separated their world from the rest of the world.

"This is your last chance to turn back," Link informed Saria. "If you don't turn back now, there's no turning back."

Saria smiled. "I don't care. I won't turn back, not as long as you're around." She kissed him lightly, and he blushed red. The two then walked forward, crossing the bridge, and finding themselves outside the forest.

"Well, do you feel any different?"

"No."

"All right, as long as you don't feel bad, or different from normal. I really don't want you getting hurt, and after all, the Deku Tree said that if the Kokiri left the forest, they'd die."

"I think it's because of the dangers out of the forest. You had your sword, so you could leave. Now that I have a slingshot and some other weapons, I'll be fine, as soon as you train me to use them."

"All right." Link smiled and kissed Saria. He took the slingshot from her hand, then took a seed from the pouch. "Watch, you stick the seed in the slingshot like this, then you pull back. Be sure you don't drop the seed, though. When you're aiming, keep your eye level with the slingshot, and look in between the two branches. Once you've aimed, then pull back and…" the seed shot forward, "…fire it."

Saria took it and tried it. She remembered trying it before, so she knew the basics of using it, but she didn't know how to aim, and Link had just showed her how to. She did as he said, then looked around for something to hit. Link pointed to a nearby animal, and told her to try aiming at it. She did so, and shot the seed at it. The seed hit the animal's feet, and it quickly darted off.

"You were close, and that's good. Not bad for your first try at aiming." They continued training for several hours as they walked along the plains. Link felt himself drawn to somewhere, but he didn't know where, and so, he just kept walking in the direction he felt like he needed to go.

The training paused for an hour as they ate lunch, Link gave Saria some of the food that Zelda had bought for him before he left the castle to go to Death Mountain. The bread was stale, but the rest was good. Saria almost couldn't eat the food because it was so good. "Good, isn't it?"

"Good? This is better then good!" Saria spoke loudly.

Link laughed some. "That's what I thought when I first tasted it. Back then, I had no idea what money was, and I almost lost the Kokiri Emerald in the process." He told her the whole story, then, as part of her training, taught her what money was, where to get it, and even how to use it properly. Afterwards, he taught her a couple of things that she realized she already knew.

Finally, it was getting late. The sun was setting, and Link knew they had to stop for the night. "We'll stop here and rest for the night." Link sat on the ground and looked at Saria. He handed her some food for her dinner, then the two snuggled up together and laid down to sleep. "Good night, Saria."

"Good night, Link," Saria said, then the two dozed off to sleep. It was that night that Link had a frightening nightmare.

A woman rode on a horse away from what was behind her. Behind her was a huge burning castle. "The castle…it's burning…" Link spoke. He looked around for a moment, but all he could see was the girl in front of him and the burning castle. "Where am I?" Link asked in a scared tone. "Who are you?" the girl did not respond. The scene changed, and he found himself falling, then, as he seemed to stop falling, he looked up. There, he saw the Deku Tree staring down at him.

"Link…" the Deku Tree called to him.

"Great Deku Tree!" Link shouted as he awoke from his sleep, sitting up. Saria awoke quickly when Link sat up, because she had had her head on his chest.

"Link…what's wrong?" Saria asked.

"It…it was…a dream?" Link asked, looking around.

"What was a dream?" Saria asked, blinking. Link told her the whole dream and she thought for a moment. "Strange…it doesn't sound like the castle you told me about…"

"It wasn't…it was another castle…the woman…she was holding me…like I was a baby…" Link sighed and laid back down.

"We'll worry about it tomorrow, okay? Let's just sleep for now."

"Okay," Link said, nodding. Saria placed her head back on Link's chest and went to fell back to sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, though, when she heard something.

"Music?" she asked, quickly sitting up. Link sat up with her. "Who would be playing music this late at night? It's beautiful, whoever it is…"

"Maybe we should go find out," Link stood up, then helped Saria stand up. They walked together, following the voice. Navi just grumbled as she watched them.

"Stupid Saria…" Navi said under her breath. She was jealous at the moment.

The two found themselves at Lon Lon Ranch. They walked in and looked around. Lon Lon Ranch wasn't much to see. It had two buildings to their sides, the left one was the house, the right one was the stables. In front of them was a large stable, where the horses were kept out in the open for people to ride them at will. They even sold horses, all except their prized ones, that is.

Link and Saria noticed someone up inside the currently empty horse stables, and they walked forward. They soon realized it wasn't as empty as they thought it was. There was a little girl in the stables, roughly Link's age, and she was singing. Her singing was beautiful, and Saria frowned. She couldn't sing as well as the girl could. All she could do was play her ocarina good.

Link looked at Saria, noticing the frown on her face. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"She's a really good singer…" Saria said in response. "I wish I could sing that good…" She pulled out her ocarina and began to play it along with the girl's singing. The girl stopped singing, blinked, and turned around when she heard the ocarina.

"Who are you?" the girl asked. The girl had red hair and was wearing a cute dress. She also had blue eyes.

"My name's Link and this is my…" Link looked at her. He wasn't sure if to call her his girlfriend or his friend.

"I'm his girlfriend, Saria." Link blinked. He would have said that had he known Saria wouldn't have a problem with that.

The look on the girl's face changed, almost like she was sad. "I'm Malon, the daughter of Talon, who owns this place." She smiled. "I'm glad you could come to Lon Lon Ranch!" She hugged them both. She then kissed Link on the cheek and Link's eyes went wide and he blushed.

Saria saw her kiss Link and just gave a low growl. _What is she doing?_ she thought.

"So, would you like me to show you around?" Malon asked, smiling.

"Uhh…not really," Saria said, making sure that Link couldn't get a sentence in. "Come on, Link, we've got to go." Saria began to pull Link away. Malon frowned and watched the two of them leave. "I don't like her…" Saria said once they were out of hearing range.

"Oh, come on, Saria. You're just jealous because Malon kissed me."

"I know her type…" Saria said, looking at Link. "They hear that a guy has a girlfriend, so they try to steal the guy away."

"Oh, come on, Saria," Link said. "It was just a small kiss."

"Yeah, but the next thing you know that kiss would end up as a bigger kiss, then a bigger kiss, until finally you and her are lying in bed and you find yourself making love with her! Then, you would come to me and say we had to break up!" Link sighed as he listened.

"Saria…it was just a friendly kiss, nothing more. I would never have let her do any more then that…"

Saria sighed. She knew Link well enough to know he was a man of his word and she nodded. "I'm sorry, Link." She said, then leaned against him, closing her eyes. Malon watched from a distance.

"I'll get him from you, yet, Saria…" Malon said, knowing Saria couldn't hear. "You'll see…he'll like me more then you…"

Saria and Link continued walking on. It was still night, but neither of them could sleep. "Saria…we should get some sleep…"

"No…I'm not tired…" Saria said. She gave a yawn but tried to hide it.

"Yes, you are, Saria. Come on, we need our rest," Link put his arms around Saria and smiled. "Come on, Saria." Saria sighed.

"I'm afraid…" Saria said suddenly.

Link was shocked at this and blinked. "Afraid? What are you afraid of?"

"I don't know…I guess I'm just afraid we'll go too far if we go to sleep…"

"Saria, you know we'd never do that. How many times have we slept together already? I remember that one time you didn't want to be away from me at all, and we slept in the same bed for a week. You said you were afraid of something else at that time, so why are you afraid now?"

"I think it's just that. We've slept in the same bed so much, I guess I'm afraid that we might decide to go farther…"

"I wouldn't go any farther then that unless you wanted me to." Saria smiled at that.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yes, I do, I really mean that." Link smiled.

"Okay." Saria hugged him, then the two laid down. They fell asleep shortly after that, and the night passed uneventfully.

"Hoot hoot," came a voice nearby. Link awoke and looked up, jumping back when he saw a huge owl was standing in front of him. "Hoot, Link, you are awake!"

"Wh-who…are you?" Link asked. Saria stirred a little at the noise.

"I am Kaepora Gaebora. Link, you are needed in Zora's Domain. I will take you there, just grab my leg."

"What about Saria? I can't leave her here. I told her that I would take her with me wherever I went."

"Then wake her, for we have to fly." Link nodded and shook Saria awake.

Saria groaned as she woke up, looking at Link. She smiled a bit. "Good morning, Link."

"Good morning, Saria," Link said, smiling back. "Saria, we have to head to Zora's Domain. This owl, Kaepora Gaebora, said he would take us there." Saria looked at the owl then back at Link, then nodded. They grabbed onto the owl's legs and he flew into the air, flying off.

"Look below you," Kaepora said. "Below you is the Hyrule Plain. To the north is Hyrule Castle. We will be heading to the Zora's Domain, which isn't far from here. I suggest you hold on tight, because we're going to go fast." Kaepora began to speed up, and Link and Saria quickly gripped his talons tighter. The owl sped faster, soon flying over a large place filled with waterfalls. "Let them here the song of the Royal Family, then their doors will open." With that, he let go of Saria and Link and the two fell, splashing into the water below.

The two surfaced from the water and Link looked around, then to Saria. "Saria, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Link," Saria said. She swam over to him and smiled. "Where do we go now?"

"I don't know, let's get out of the water first." Link took Saria's hand and began to swim with her, soon reaching an area where they could get out of the water and onto land. Link helped Saria get out of the water. When she was out of the water, Saria hugged him, accidentally knocking him over onto the ground. She kissed him right on the lips, catching Link completely by surprise.

After a moment, Saria opened her eyes seeing Link's surprised look. She quickly pulled away from the kiss, blushing some as she did. Link smiled and pulled her closer, and the two entered into a kiss. After a moment, they pulled from the kiss and smiled at each other. "I'm glad you came," Link said.

"I'm glad I came, too," Saria said, smiling. Saria then moved off of Link so that he could get up. The two then looked around as they stood there, wondering where to go. Link pulled out his ocarina and looked over it, then looked around.

"Let them here the song of the Royal Family, then their doors will open," Link said, repeating what Kaepora had said.

"What does that mean?" Saria asked. Without giving a response, Link held the ocarina to his mouth and began to play it. The melody he played echoed throughout the area, and soon the nearby waterfall split open, revealing a passage inside. "Link, look!" Saria pointed to the waterfall.

"Good, it opened!" Link took Saria's hat and took her with him until they reached the opening in the waterfall. They went through the opening, finding themselves in a huge cavern. The cavern was partly filled with water, which gave it a strange glow.

"Oh my gosh! It's beautiful!" Saria exclaimed.

"Yeah," Link said, absolutely speechless. He looked around, trying to see what he could see. It was a tall cavern, and there were paths that seemed to lead everywhere. It was beautiful, and Link about fell over when he tried to see the ceiling. Actually, he did fall over. "Whoa!" he shouted as he landed on his back.

Saria giggled and looked at him. "Can you see the ceiling now?" she asked, jokingly. Link laughed some, then looked at her. He stood up and hugged her.

"Halt!" a voice shouted. "By order of King Zora, you are ordered to stand where you are and not move." Link and Saria didn't know what to do, so they just stood there and waited. It was then that Zora's surrounded them, each carrying a large pointy stick. "We are the Zora's, the dwellers of this land. Stand where you are and make no moves otherwise."

Link and Saria saw nothing else they could do. They just stood there, waiting to see what would happen. The Zora's looked like fish, because they had long fins on their heads, and on their arms and legs they had smaller fins that were like those of a shark's back fin. They looked at Link and Saria for a moment, then, once they saw they weren't going to move, one of them moved forward.

"You will come with us to see King Zora," the Zora said. Link and Saria nodded and looked at each other.

"It'll be okay, Saria," Link said.

"I hope so," Saria said, hugging Link tight. The guard poked Link with his stick and Link began to move towards the direction they pointed him to as he held Saria tightly against him. It wasn't long before they reached King Zora.

"Your majesty, King Zora, we have brought these two fools here. They have dared to trespass on our land, and we have brought them to you." King Zora was an enormous fish. He looked fat, very fat, and he also sat on a high ledge, away from anyone else. He had a large gold fin on the top of his head that ended at a large red ruby. He also wore a long red cape as he sat there on his throne, which seemed to be a large red rug.

"You two," King Zora began, "are you the ones who kidnapped my daughter, Princess Ruto?"

"Princess Ruto?" Saria asked and looked at Link, who shrugged.

"No, sir," Link said. "We were not the ones who kidnapped your daughter. We simply came to get the Spiritual Stone of Water."

"Spiritual Stone of Water!" King Zora shouted. "You are after the Zora's Sapphire as well?"

"What do you mean?" Saria asked.

"A man in black armor came just the other day. He demanded we give him the Spiritual Stone of Water. When I refused, he cursed our guardian deity, Lord Jabu Jabu. He said he'll remove the curse once we give him the Spiritual Stone."

"Well, if I help you out and remove the curse from your guardian deity, then will you give me the Spiritual Stone?" Link asked.

"Only if you remove the curse and return my daughter to me."

"Then it shall be done," Link said, nodding.

"To make sure you cooperate, however," King Zora spoke and two Zora guards grabbed Saria, "I will hold your friend here."

"Saria!" Link shouted.

"Link!" Saria shouted back. "Don't let them take me!"

"Let her go! I refuse to do anything unless you release her! She can help me, and with her help, I can get your daughter back twice as fast as I could without her." The King looked at Link for a moment.

"Fine," he said and clapped his hands. They released Saria and Saria growled at them. Saria walked over to Link and placed her head on his shoulder. "Go, now, do what you must do."

"Where can we find Lord Jabu Jabu?" Link asked.

"He is behind me," King Zora responded. He straightened and slowly began to move over, making a sound that sounded like "Zora" every time he moved. It took about ten minutes for him to finally move his big self all the way over. Link then noticed a pathway up to the throne, and both him and Saria walked along the pathway, which narrowed out near the end. They soon got to the throne and noticed the large archway that had now been revealed. "He is in there. Harm him, and you will die instantly." Link nodded and took Saria with him through the archway and into a large cavern.

It was about a minute before they reached the end of the long cavern-like passageway. Saria had begun to grow weaker for some reason. She stumbled and Link quickly caught her. "Are you okay, Saria?"

"Yeah…I'm fine…" Saria said, looking at Link. She stood to her feet and they continued walking.

"Humble helper," a zora spoke from behind. Link turned around and looked at him. "Humble helper, please take this. King Zora wishes you to have it, in case you need it. He does, however, advise you to be careful with it. Should you injure Lord Jabu Jabu, regardless of if you get the princess out or not, you will die when you return. He does not take lightly to the injury of our Guardian deity."

Link nodded. "I understand." Saria just watched the whole thing without saying anything. Saria felt herself nodding off, and she quickly shook her head, trying to keep herself awake. They continued to walk towards Lord Jabu Jabu, and the closer they got, the worse Saria got. They reached Lord Jabu Jabu's platform, where they found the huge whale.

The moment they stepped on the platform, though, Saria felt herself collapsing. Link quickly grabbed her and placed her gently on the ground. He placed his ear on her chest and listened to make sure her heart was still beating fine. "Saria?" Link asked as he looked up at her face. "Saria…wake up…" he shook her slightly. Saria remained asleep, though, and it made Link nervous. "Zora's!" Link shouted. "Help me!" Alas, no one seemed to hear.

"Saria…please be okay…" Link grabbed Saria and lifted her up onto his back. Saria was completely limp, and that made Link even more nervous. "Help!" he shouted as he ran back. He finally reached King Zora and laid her down, then looked up. "What's going on? Saria's unconscious, possibly dead."

King Zora looked at Link and closed his eyes. "So…it's spreading…"

"What's spreading?"

"The curse…it was placed on lord Jabu Jabu, but it was designed to wipe him and my entire race out. It's also supposed to wipe out anyway with a destiny to aid the Hero of Time. Don't worry, I'll watch over her, you must hurry. You haven't much time to deal with Lord Jabu Jabu if you wish for her to live." King Zora sighed. "I no longer care," he said suddenly. "Do whatever you have to do. If the curse on Lord Jabu Jabu can't be stopped without his death…then kill him."

Link's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what King Zora had just said. He closed his eyes and nodded, then quickly ran off. He ran until he reached Lord Jabu Jabu and pulled out his sword. He stuck it in the whale's mouth and tried to open it, but it was no use, the sword just snapped. Link looked at the sword and just blinked. He looked at Jabu Jabu and swore horribly under his breath.

He looked around for a moment and growled. "Link, it's a guardian deity, maybe you need to give it something." Link nodded. He snatched a fish out of the water and held it up to Lord Jabu Jabu.

"Lord Jabu Jabu, I offer you this morsel as an offering." He showed it to Lord Jabu Jabu, who's eyes went wide. "I wonder how this guy could swallow someone…" Link said, looking at Jabu Jabu. Little did he know, he was about to find out, for just as he had finished his sentence, Lord Jabu Jabu opened his mouth and began to suck air into his massive body. "Whoa! What a sucker!" he shouted as he was sucked right into lord Jabu Jabu's belly.

"This is insane!" Navi shouted as she was sucked in with him. Link found himself being tossed onto the bottom of Lord Jabu Jabu's mouth and he pushed himself to a standing position.

"All right, all we got to do is remove that curse, then we need to go find Princess Ruto. Who knows where she-" Before he could finish, his sentence was cut off by a scream.

"No! Not the Sapphire!" a voice shouted, and Link quickly turned in the direction of the shout.

"Who's there!" Link shouted. It was then that he saw someone running up to him. It was a little girl, no older then he was. She was a Zora, and this led him to suspect she was Princess Ruto. She also didn't have the long fin on her head like the other Zora he had seen did, which lead him to fully suspect that it was the princess.

"Help me!" the girl shouted and quickly ran up to him.

"Are you Princess Ruto?"

"Yes, I am, why?"

"I've been ordered to find you and bring you back to your father."

"I'm not going back there!" Ruto shouted.

"Why not?" Link asked.

"First of all, I'm here because I was hiding here to get away from my father. Second of all, I'm a real person with real feelings, and my stubborn father doesn't care! He's just always like 'Oh, my wonderful, adorable, Princess Ruto' all the time, and it's making me sick! Third of all-" Ruto's sentence was cut off when a large tentacle shot forward and tried to grab her. "Third of all, that thing ate the Zora's Sapphire!"

In front of Link and Ruto was a huge beast. The beast looked like a bulging piece of flesh from Lord Jabu Jabu's mouth. It had large electric jellyfish-like monsters all over its body. It also had large tentacles that spread out from its body as well. Three of these tentacles had strange radar-like objects on the ends of them.

"That thing!" Link shouted.

"Yes, that thing!" Ruto shouted back.

"Fine, if I help you and I get the Sapphire back, then you have to come back with me."

"Fine…" Ruto folded her arms over her chest. Link nodded and ran forward. "Wait a moment," Ruto said, grabbing Link by the back of the shirt and pulling him back against her. "What? Are you just going to leave me here? It is considered an honor to carry me." Link growled. He then found himself carrying Ruto as he ran around the large beast, trying to dodge its attacks.

"You know…this would be easier…if you weren't on my back…" Link panted.

"So? You have to carry me, it's an honor, and you should be thankful." Just as she finished, Ruto found herself being tossed aside, slamming into the ground nearby. Link pulled out the boomerang he had gotten and tossed it forward. The boomerang shot forward, spinning as it flew. It slammed into a nearby jellyfish, chopping it in half, which made it suddenly dissolve into nothing. The boomerang then returned to link's hand and he tossed it again.

This time, the boomerang shot forward, striking itself against the huge beast. Ruto's eyes went wide as she saw the boomerang hit the large parasite. It roared loudly, then exploded. The jellyfish found themselves flying off, and the boomerang struck them all as it made its way back to Link's hand. Link smiled and looked at Ruto. "Ha! I killed it!"

Suddenly, a large tentacle shot up from the ground and grew close to Link. Link smiled, spun around, and tossed his boomerang at the tentacle. It roared, turned to stone, then crumbled to the ground. In the stone was the Zora's Sapphire. Link walked over and picked it up, then handed it to Ruto. "There, I got your sapphire back. Now, you have to do as I said and come with me."

"Of course I will," Ruto said, smiling. "You know, you were pretty cool. I mean…Barinade had me a little scared, but that was it! I was just a little scared!" Link laughed some and Ruto blushed, trying to think of something to get her out of the mess she was in. She then thought of something and walked up to Link, kissing him lightly on the lips.

Link's eyes bulged when he was kissed, and he quickly pulled away from the kiss. Ruto giggled a little and Link just stood there, a look of absolute surprise on his face. "Here, I want you to have it. You got it, so you deserve it." Ruto handed him the Zora's Sapphire. "This sapphire is the Zora's engagement ring. I'm supposed to give it to only the person I am to marry. I want you to have it, it's rightfully yours, after all."

Link blinked, then took the sapphire. Ruto kissed him again and Link blushed. He quickly shook his head, allowing him to get control of himself. He then grabbed Ruto's hand and ran off with her, heading to the mouth of Lord Jabu Jabu. They reached the mouth and Lord Jabu Jabu opened his mouth, letting them out.

Link took her back to Zora's Domain, and Saria saw him as he was coming back. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly. Link smiled and hugged Saria tight. "I'm glad you came back," she said. "When I woke up, I didn't see you there. I was worried about you so much."

"I was worried about you, too, Saria." They hugged for a long time, then they grew close in a kiss. Ruto had already left at this point, and didn't see it. When the two broke from the kiss, they looked around, realizing they still had a job to do. Link too Saria's hand and the two of them headed on, going off to see what was left for them to do.

Meanwhile, in Zora's Domain, Ruto approached her father and smiled. "Father?" she asked.

"My wonderful daughter, Ruto! You have finally returned!" King Zora shouted. Him and his daughter embraced for a moment, then Ruto smiled as she pulled away.

"Father, I have something to tell you."

"Well, it can wait, first I want you to meet someone. I have picked a suitor for you."

"Umm…Father…that's kind of what I want to talk to you about…"

"What is it, my darling daughter?"

"I gave away the Zora's Sapphire already." With those words, King Zora's face gained a look of absolute horror.

"You…did…what!" he shouted. Ruto just laughed.

Meanwhile, in the Hylian Field, Link and Saria made their way to Hyrule Castle. It was a long trip, but soon the castle grew into view. "Link!" Saria shouted, her face showing horror.

"What is it?" Link asked, looking at her.

Saria pointed forward. "That's what…" Link turned to see what was making the look of horror on her face, the same look appeared on his face as well. "The castle…" Link said, absolute horror and terror on his face. "It's…it's burning!" he shouted.

"Oh no!" Navi shouted. It was a horrible sight. In front of them, Hyrule Castle stood, a huge fire that shined in the night. Link couldn't take this. He had gotten so far, and now he had failed.

"No! This can't be! Princess Zelda!" Link shouted and ran forward.

"Link!" Saria shouted.

"Navi will take you back to the Kokiri Forest! I have to check this out, and quickly! I'll be back for you, I promise!"

"I hope so…" Saria said, frowning. Navi flew off towards the forest and Saria followed.

"Don't worry, Saria," Navi said. "Once I've gotten you back home, I'll go see Link. I'll make sure that he comes back for you."

Saria nodded. "Okay," she said, turning back for a short moment. "Link…please be okay…"


	6. The Master Sword

**Chapter 6: The Master Sword**

Link ran as fast as he could to Hyrule Castle. He couldn't believe it. The castle was burning. He had to get there as fast as he could, but as fast as he could just didn't seem fast enough. "Must…hurry…Zelda's probably in trouble…"

Meanwhile, at the castle. "Hand over the ocarina!" a large skeleton shouted. Zelda had been chased to the top of a tall tower, and was currently trapped by four large skeletons. The skeletons were about twice her size, and they had helmets and shields, along with large crooked blades. "Give us the ocarina!"

"No!" Zelda shouted. "You will not have it!"

Just then, the skeletons moved away from her, and Ganondorf appeared behind them. He smirked and laughed a little. "Foolish girl, my army of Stalfos knights have this castle surrounded, you have no place to go. Your father now rests in peace, forever!" Zelda's eyes widened when she heard that.

"You…monster!" Zelda shouted.

Just then, Impa appeared behind Zelda and smiled at Ganondorf. "So, you dare to oppose me as well?" Ganondorf asked.

"I will always oppose you," Impa said, looking Ganondorf straight in the eyes. "I will not rest until you are dead."

Ganondorf laughed. "Foolish girl. You are one of the last of the Sheikah tribe. You hold nothing to me."

"You're wrong," Impa said, looking at Ganondorf in the eyes still.

"It matters not. Give me the ocarina! With it I shall become the King of Hyrule! No, I think I'll become the Emperor of the World!"

"You shall never have it so long as I live."

"That can be easily arranged." Ganondorf thrust his fist at Zelda and Imp quickly jumped into the air, making Ganondorf's fist slam into the ground, smashing several of the blocks easily. Ganondorf looked up and growled a bit. "Get her!" he shouted.

"Ganondorf!" Zelda shouted as Impa landed behind Ganondorf. "The Hero of Time will appear soon, and he will come, and he will kill you."

"Ha! Hero of Time! It is but a wives tale!" He thrust his hand forward, sending a huge bolt of energy forward. Impa jumped again and just barely dodged the attack. "I shall kill you now." Ganondorf began to walk forward towards them as they landed again.

Meanwhile, in the Hyrule Plain, Link continued to run. He was almost to the castle, and he was in a hurry to make it all the way. "Almost there…" Link said, still running. He finally got into the marketplace and he dashed forward as guards ran passed him, trying to get to the gates to block anything from getting through.

"Ganondorf is revolting!" one of the guards shouted. "The King is dead, and the Princess will surely be dead soon if we don't help her!"

Link's eyes widened as he stopped after hearing what the guard had said. Link found that all he could do was swear under his breath again, much like he always did. "I'll kill him…" Link turned and made a mad dash for the castle.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, even more trouble was brewing. "You are pathetic," Ganondorf said as four guards came running up to him. In a moment's time, he drew a rather large sword from his back and held it in front of him. "You really want to fight?"

"Get him!" one of the guards shouted.

"So be it!" Ganondorf shouted, and with a quick swipe, the guards were lying on the ground dead. "Fools, who else will dare to get in my way?"

"I will!" a voice shouted. It was the voice of a little kid, and Ganondorf's eyes widened when he recognized the voice. Link had made it all the way to the castle, and was now standing in front of him.

"You fool! You will not last!" Ganondorf shouted and he quickly ran forward, sword in hand. Link quickly jumped over the sword and landed on Ganondorf's blade. He then pushed himself off the blade and flipped over Ganondorf, landing on the ground behind him. He then twisted around to look at Ganondorf. "Fool…" Ganondorf spoke and quickly swung his sword again.

Link did another jump and landed on the blade of Ganondorf's sword. He smiled and did a quick kick to Ganondorf's head, pushing him back some. He then jumped off, doing a backflip off the sword. "Why you little runt…I'll kill you for that…"

"You were already going to kill me, though."

Ganondorf growled. "I don't have time for you!" he shouted and quickly turned to run. Two Stalfos quickly jumped in front of Link, and Link stepped back. He wasn't sure what to do to take on the Stalfos. He had no sword, meaning he had no weapons except his slingshot and his boomerang, and neither would help right now, or so he thought.

The Stalfos began to grow closer to him, and Link quickly pulled out the boomerang and tossed it forward, striking the Stalfos in the head. It knocked his head off, which caused the rest of his body to shake and fall apart. "Puny punk!" the other Stalfos shouted. Link watched as the boomerang came back and knocked of the head of the other Stalfos as well. "I'll get you for that!" the Stalfos shouted as his head landed on the ground.

Link quickly ran forward, stepping on one of the Stalfos skulls as he ran. It smashed it, and magic suddenly shot out of the skull, but Link didn't take time to notice it, and he kept running.

"I will get you, Princess!" Ganondorf yelled as he chased Zelda through the castle. Link was right behind him, though, and wasn't willing to give up.

"Come here!" link shouted, then lunged at Ganondorf. Ganondorf turned around just in time to see it, but not soon enough to react, which caused him to fall back onto the ground.

"Foolish child!" Ganondorf shouted and quickly hit Link with a blast of energy from his hand, which sent him flying into a nearby wall. Ganondorf then stood to his feet, turned, and continued his chase.

"I…will…stop you…" Link muttered and stood to his feet. He ran forward, taking out his boomerang. He tossed it forward, but Ganondorf was too quick. The boomerang reached its limit, and began to spin back towards Ganondorf, who quickly sent a blast of energy at it, knocking it off course.

Ganondorf gave a laugh as he continued to run forward, Link still behind him. "Give it up, foolish boy! You will never defeat me!"

"Guess again!" Link shouted and quickly jumped at Ganondorf again and wrapped his arms around his neck. Link dangled from his position and smiled as he kicked his feet into Ganondorf's back, which caused him to fall back. Link was able to quickly jump off as Ganondorf fell back, thus avoiding being crushed by Ganondorf's weight.

"You fool!" Ganondorf shouted as he quickly stood to his feet. "You cannot stop me! I will have the Triforce, and you cannot stop me!"

"We'll see about that!" Link shouted and quickly ran up to Ganondorf, punching him in the face. Ganondorf only gave a growl as the punch knocked him back lightly.

"Fool!" Ganondorf shouted, sending a fist into Link's face, sending him flying off into the nearby wall. Link stood to his feet, but barely. Ganondorf jut laughed at him, then turned, walking away.

"I…won't…let you…get…the Triforce…" Link spoke, fighting to stay conscious. Any more damage and Link would find himself unconscious, possibly even dead.

"Let me?" Ganondorf asked as he turned one last time. "You don't have to let me get the Triforce. I will have the Triforce, and there is nothing you can do about it!" Ganondorf turned once more and walked off. Link just stood there, his body was in severe pain, and he could barely move without feeling extreme pain.

"I'll…get you…" Link spoke, slowly limping forward. Ganondorf continued his pursuit of Zelda, which caused him to venture the entire castle trying to go after her. Link made his way back to the entrance in a hope that he would be able to get into the market, find someone that could heal him, and then go back into the battle. This, however, was not how it went, for just as he got to the entrance, a white horse shot by him.

"Zelda!" Link shouted. On the horse were two girls, one was Impa, Zelda's Nanny. In her arms, sitting in front of her on the horse, was Princess Zelda herself.

"Link!" Zelda shouted back. "Impa, please, stop the horse!"

"I can't," Impa spoke. "If I do, then we'll never escape." Zelda sighed, then quickly took the Ocarina of Time into her hand. She looked at Link, then tossed the ocarina towards him. It hit the ground and bounced, landing directly in front of Link. Link bent down and picked up the ocarina, then turned, seeing Ganondorf behind him.

Ganondorf sat on his black horse in his black armor. He looked to Link, who quickly put the ocarina in his pouch. "Give it to me, boy!" he shouted.

"You…will never...have this…" At that moment, Link got ready to fight to the end if he had to.

Ganondorf just laughed. "You are more foolish then I first thought." He rose his hand into the air and laughed as energy gathered into his hand. He smiled and a beam of energy shot forward from his hand, aimed at Link. Link quickly pulled out his shield, and the attack struck it, smashing the shield and knocking Link back.

Ganondorf grinned when he saw an ocarina fly out of Link's pouch and land on the ground nearby. He smiled and picked it up. "I think you, my boy. You have supplied me with what I needed."

_Saria's ocarina!_ Link thought. Ganondorf laughed, thinking he was holding the Ocarina of Time in his hand. He then rode off on his horse, and Link growled. "I'll get you for that…" Link said, growling more. He reached into his pouch once more, taking out the Ocarina of Time. He looked at it, then looked to the sky as it began to rain. "How?" he asked. "How! How am I supposed to do this! You trusted me, Great Deku Tree, but how am I supposed to defeat him? I'm too small…I'm not strong enough…how am I supposed to defeat that man!"

In an instant, the ocarina began to glow as if trying to answer his question. He looked down at the ocarina in his hand, then he heard Zelda's voice in his mind. "Link," she spoke directly to his mind. "I am sorry, Link, but if this ocarina is in your hand, that means I am gone. I pray that this will help you. Go to the Temple of Time, place the three stones in their slots, then play this song." He heard a song enter his mind, and he began to play along with it. After a moment, he knew what he was supposed to do, and how he would do it.

It was then that Navi flew up right next to him, making her grand re-appearance once Saria had been safely returned to the Kokiri Forest. "I'm back, Link."

"Good, now come, we have something to do." Link walked forward, making his way to the marketplace. He soon found himself at the steps to the Temple of Time. He looked up, wondering how old the temple actually was. It was huge, though, and looked like a large church with stained glass windows. He walked forward, opening the huge double doors that lead into the temple.

Inside the temple, Link saw a small pedestal. On that pedestal was the symbol of the Triforce, along with a small circular symbol that had markings on it. "What's that?" he asked as he walked over to it. He stepped on the pedestal and just looked at it. He didn't know what to do with it, or if it held any importance at all. He would soon find out how important it was, though.

Link then looked forward, seeing in front of him a huge block made of stone. On it were three slots, that seemed that they had to hold something. It also had strange markings on it as well, and the markings appeared to be words. Link began to read them, and he realized they said the same thing that Zelda had told him. He quickly took out the stones and placed them on the large block. He then pulled out the Ocarina of Time and began to play the song Zelda taught him.

Once his song finished, the huge block rumbled, and a Triforce symbol appeared above it. The block then split into two large blocks, and pulled apart, making a large doorway. Link walked forward, looking around. He was in awe at what he saw. "Link…isn't that…" Navi began, but stopped. She quickly flew forward towards what she saw. "It is!" she shouted. "Link, it's the Master Sword!"

In front of Link was a large pedestal. It had stairs that went up it, leading to a small pedestal at the top, where the Master Sword was placed into. The Master Sword was known as the Evil Slaying Sword, and only the Hero of Time pull it from the pedestal. Link slowly walked forward, walking to the Master Sword.

The sword had a purple hilt, and a large silver blade. On the blade was a Triforce symbol which seemed to glow as he got closer to it. "Am I…to take this…?" Link asked. He put his hand on the hilt of the sword and closed his eyes. "Goddesses…if I am the one to stop Ganondorf…then allow me to pull this sword from the pedestal."

After his prayer to the goddesses, Link put his hands tightly around the sword, then pulled hard. The sword yielded to him, and allowed itself to be pulled from the pedestal. Link's eyes went wide when he saw a large amount of blue light appear around him. He screamed loudly, feeling like he was being pulled from his body. "What's going on? I don't understand this. I feel like I'm getting pulled away! Goddesses! Help me!" he shouted.

After a moment, the blue light faded out, and Link slumped to the ground. A large image appeared after that, the image showing the Triforce, and where it was hidden. Ganondorf entered the Temple of Time at that moment and smiled. "There it is," he spoke. "Finally, I will have the Triforce!" Ganondorf just looked at the image for a moment, the image showing the Triforce over a large pedestal. The pedestal was connected to a long path that lead to a small building that seemed to glow.

Ganondorf laughed again, then walked forward. He walked into the image, appearing inside the small building. He walked slowly forward, making his way across the pedestal, soon reaching the Triforce. He reached forward, grabbing the Triforce. It glowed, then exploded. One Triforce piece was in his hand and Ganondorf frowned. "What is this!"

"You do not have a balance of power, courage, and wisdom in your heart," a voice said to him. "Because of this, you have lost two pieces, and gained that which is the strongest in your heart. The Triforce of Power lies in your hands, but the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom, you have lost."

"Who are you!" Ganondorf shouted.

"I am the Essence of the Triforce. Take now your Triforce, and leave. Stay, and you shall die!" Ganondorf growled, turned, and walked back to the building. He walked into it and vanished. "He who has touched the Triforce, this realm now reflects your heart." In an instant, the golden sky grew black and evil suddenly appeared. "The Sacred Realm is now the Dark World, and shall remain until the Triforce is returned."

Seven years passed from that day, and Link remained on the pedestal, unconscious. His body had aged seven years, and the Master Sword was still in his hand. The Master Sword was what had kept Link from getting killed after seven years. Ganondorf had tried many times to kill Link before he could awaken, but the Master Sword kept a shield around Link, the only thing that stood between life and death for Link.

Finally, Link's body glowed and disappeared from the pedestal, the Master Sword disappearing with him. "Link," a voice spoke to Link's body as he floated in a vast nothingness. "Link, the chosen one, it's time for you to awaken." Just then, Link's body landed on solid ground and slowly he awoke. He slowly stood to his feet, looking around. He didn't know where he was, or what had happed during the past seven years. He didn't even know seven years had passed.

He turned around, and there, in front of him, was a really fat, bald man. The man wore sagely robes, and he just stared at Link. "Welcome to the Chamber of Sages, Link. I am the essence of Rauru, the Sage of Light. My body has long since passed away, but as long as you are here, in this chamber, I am able to communicate to you."

"What happened to me? I remember holding the Master Sword in my hand, then blue light covered me and everything around me. After that, I felt like everything was far away."

"The Master Sword is a special sword that those of evil heart cannot wield it. In addition, only the Hero of Time can pull the sword from the pedestal. However, you were still far too young to be the Hero of Time, and so, for seven years your spirit has been sleeping here. During those seven years, Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm from the Gate you opened and seized the Triforce. He only got the Triforce of Power, though. However, even now his evil continues to pillage all of Hyrule's lands."

"There is but one hope, one way to beat him. That way is to break the curses on all five of the temples and awaken the sages within. If the Hero of Time and the sages combine their powers, then surely the evil can be confined, possibly destroyed."

"Then…I'm the Hero of Time?" Link asked.

"Exactly," Rauru responded.

"Wow, Link!" Navi shouted. "This is awesome! The Great Deku Tree would be surprised to hear that!"

"Actually, Fairy Navi, the Great Deku Tree already knew of this. If you have not yet noticed, you are not of the Kokiri. You are Hylian, and thus, have Hylian blood running through you, same as Princess Zelda. Before the Kingdom of Hyrule was completely united, when it was still at war, you were born into the guardian house of the current Hyrule kingdom. Your father died in battle, and your mother frantically fled the burning mansion, sustaining heavy injuries in the process."

"In the end, she was able to get to the Deku Tree, but she wasn't allowed to enter, but you were. She entered anyway, taking you to the Kokiri. When she died, she was turned into a tree, and you made your home there, feeling like you were drawn to it somehow. The Deku Tree raised you as a Kokiri, and, even though you weren't a Kokiri, he still loved you all the same. In fact, he loved you more because you were different."

Link looked at his hands for a moment. It was hard for him to take all of this in. He looked back up after a moment, then to Navi. "Hey! If seven years have passed, then what happened to Navi during those seven years?"

"She was put to sleep as well. We couldn't allow her to remain awake. She was put asleep, just like you were, and now both of you are awake."

"That make sense."

"Know this, Link. From now on…no…including until now, hardships will be a given for you. That is your fate, and you must not have any complaints."

"I don't have any. By becoming an adult, I've gained a lot of power. Now I can fight him on his own terms! If this sword chose me, and if I'm suited to be the hero, then I will fight. I will surely beat Ganondorf, and this time, I will protect Princess Zelda!" Rauru smiled and closed his eyes. Link found himself back inside the Temple of Time, and he looked around. In his hand was a blue shield that had the Triforce on it.

Link remembered what Rauru said about the shield when he was being sent back. "Take this shield, it will protect you. It is the Hero of Time's shield. You are the Hero, so you must have it."

Link had appeared at the pedestal of time, where he had pulled the Master Sword from. He slowly walked out of the Temple of Time, looking around. His eyes widened when he saw the marketplace. Everything had been destroyed, and the only thing around was rubble.

Link began to walk forward, stepping down the stairs to the Temple of Time. It was a terrifying thing, what had happened to the marketplace, and Link grew angry at the very sight of it. "Ganondorf will pay for this…"

"You!" a voice suddenly shouted. "Halt who you are?" It was a Stalfos that had shouted at him.

"Oh…great…" Link said and sighed. "I hate Stalfos…" He continued walking, not listening to the Stalfos. The Stalfos quickly charged at him when they realized he wouldn't listen. Link glanced at the Stalfos coming at him, then grabbed his sword and pulled it out. He quickly swung his sword, and when it struck the Stalfos, it roared in pain then exploded. The Stalfos stopped and looked at him.

Link grinned. "Fools, you are no match for me. Do you remember me?"

"You! You're that kid from seven years ago!" one of the Stalfos shouted.

"Yeap, and I'm not so puny anymore, now am I?" Link ran forward, striking the Stalfos with his sword, which caused the Stalfos to blow up again. His head shot off, flying off into the distance. "Who else wants a piece of me?" Link asked as he held the Master Sword in his hand. The Stalfos all roared and quickly jumped at him. "I see."

Link pushed the sword back behind his back and waited for a moment. As the Stalfos grew closer, a beam appeared around Link's sword. "That's it…come closer." The Stalfos were almost on top of Link, and Link's sword now glowed a bright pink. "KaiTenGiri!" Link shouted and swung his sword around in a circle. The sword released a huge blast of energy in the shape of his sword, which swirled around him. The blast struck the Stalfos around him, and they exploded. "That'll teach them."

Link sheathed his sword once more and continued walking. He soon found himself face to face with a guard. "Halt, who goes there?" the guard spoke.

"I am Link, the Hero of Time," Link responded.

"You're the Hero of Time!" the guard shouted and Link nodded. He unsheathed the Master Sword so the guard could see. "So, you're the one who pulled the sword from the pedestal seven years ago. You look familiar…" the guard looked him up and down for a moment, then his eyes widened. "You're the kid who gave us all that trouble!" Link got suddenly nervous at that. "Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. It's been seven years, and now that you're the Hero of Time, we have need of you."

"What's going on?" Link asked.

"It's Ganon, he's captured Hyrule castle and turned it and the marketplace into his own personal 'fun zone.' He's also captured the five temples and put curses on them all. You're the Hero of Time, you can help us!"

"Ganon?" Link asked, blinking. It seemed Ganondorf was going by a new name now.

"Yes, he calls himself Ganon, the Great King of Evil. He's changed ever since he got hold of the Triforce of Power. He's grown more evil, more power hungry, and the Triforce feeds his desire for power. It has given him all of Hyrule, and now all he needs is the other two Triforce pieces. If he gets those, he'll be able to conquer the whole world."

"That's horrible!" Link shouted. "Where is he now?"

"In Hyrule Castle. He's taken over the castle and changed it, so now nothing is the same around here anymore."

"What about Zelda?"

"I don't know. She fled with Mistress Impa seven years ago. I don't know where she went, or where she is now."

"This is horrible. I must stop Ganondorf. I'll go to the castle."

"Be careful," the guard spoke, "there are a lot of Ganondorf's men around."

"I'll be careful, don't worry," Link responded, and him and Navi both began to head off towards Hyrule Castle. "Everything's changed…the marketplace has become a wasteland…the grass is dead, the buildings are destroyed…how could Hyrule get like this in seven years?" Link continued walking through the marketplace, making his way to the castle.

"Link!" Navi shouted suddenly, making Link stop in his tracks.

"What is it, Navi?" Link asked.

"I don't know…I just felt a huge burst of evil energy come at me…I'm weak…there's too much dark energy around here for me to be able to sustain myself easily."

"Then hide in my hat, you'll be safe there." Navi nodded at link's offer and quickly darted under Link's hat. Link ran forward, heading towards the castle once more. "Everything's different. Even this path I walk now is different…" Link looked around. "How could this have happened in such a short time?"

It was only a few minutes more before Link got to Hyrule Castle. When he got there, though, he was shocked at what he saw. "Hyrule Castle!" he shouted. "I-its…gone!" In front of Link was a huge crater with lava flowing inside of it. Above the lava was a large piece of ground that floated there, sustaining a large castle on the top of it. The castle looked like it was in ruins.

"Hyrule Castle has been gone for a long time, now. Yes it has," a voice suddenly spoke. Link quickly whipped around to see a small creature. It floated in the air, holding a lamp in its hand. It had no face, except two eyes that seemed to glow under the hood it was wearing. Apparently, whatever this thing was, it had no body or form.

"The great Ganondorf destroyed Hyrule Castle a long time ago, and now has created this place. This is where Ganondorf resides now, and it is called Ganon Manor. Those dread townspeople call it the Black Tower, or the Tower of Evil, but that is not its name! It is Ganon Manor, and soon the townspeople will learn that-" the creatures sentence was cut off when the Master Sword cut through it.

"Get lost!" Link shouted as the Master Sword cut through the creature, and it exploded. He smiled, then looked at the castle. "Everything has changed…even Hyrule Castle…" He then collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. "I'm weak all of the sudden…"

"Link, you've been using the sword too much," Navi said from under Link's hat. "You need to train more so you can use it more effectively and better without weakening yourself."

"You're right…" Link responded. "I'm already good with the sword, but I must become a challenge. I cannot waste time. I have to train!"

"Yeah, it's time to train!" Navi shouted. Link turned and began to run back. He stopped, turned one last time, and sighed.

"Zelda…I hope you're okay…" Link said, then turned and ran off. It took him a few minutes to get back to the marketplace, then out of the marketplace and into Hyrule field. "This is a good place to train. If any monsters come up, I can fight them." Link pulled out his sword, ready to start training himself, but he stopped and looked around. "Do you think Zelda is okay?"

"Of course, she is!" Navi spoke loudly. "She's been waiting for you, Link. She's safe, and you don't have to worry. Try playing the ocarina, maybe its tune will reach her."

"Yeah, you're right," Link responded and pulled out his ocarina. He began to play it, and, far away, near Ganon's castle, a man about Link's age stood there, listening. He stood on the top of one of the many towers of Ganon's castle, and he just listened. The man was dressed in an outfit with the symbol of the Shiekah on it, the great eye that seemed to peer into the very soul of men and women. The man had his face wrapped up so that only his eyes and a small bit of blonde hair was visible. His outfit was blue with stripes coming off the eye to other parts of the outfit.

"How depressing," the man said, listening. "The song of the Royal Family being played, a song that dates so far back that it's antique. The song is horrible to listen to now, and it makes me depressed. Oh, how I wish that boy would stop playing it." The man sighed again.

Meanwhile, inside the castle, in a room at the top of the tower, Ganondorf stood, listening to the song. "This isn't the Ocarina of Time…" he said, holding the ocarina he had gotten from Link seven years ago. "This is just a look alike, a copy. I must have the real thing!" Just then, the man that had been standing outside jumped in through a nearby window and landed at Ganondorf's feet. "What have you to report?"

"Nothing, sir," the man said.

"Shiek…I have sent you on this mission since you came to me seven years ago. You must know something as to where Zelda is hidden!"

"I know nothing, sir." Ganondorf growled and tighten his grip on the ocarina in his hand. It shattered in an instant, and Ganondorf turned his back to Shiek.

"Shiek, you disappoint me. Seven years, and you know nothing…how could you have searched for seven years without finding out? How!" Ganondorf turned around and struck Shiek across the face with the back of his hand.

"I do not know, sir. I assure you, the moment I have any information leading to her, I will give it to you."

"You better," Ganondorf demanded, then turned around. "Leave me." Shiek nodded and left, jumping out the window and gracefully landing on the ground far below. "I will find you, Princess. Do not think I won't!" He turned to a small corner of the room. "Shadow, come forth!"

In an instant, an exact copy of Ganondorf appeared from the shadow. The copy grabbed at his head and ripped off his face, showing the flaming skull underneath. "What is it you wish of me, Master Ganondorf?"

"That boy, Link, will be heading towards the Forest Temple soon. I want you to get there before him. Once you've done that, you must kill him and strip him of the Ocarina of Time."

"Yes, Master Ganondorf," the ghost-like monster spoke. "I, Phantom Ganon, will not fail you!" He stood to his feet and snapped his fingers. A large horse shot out of the nearby wall and Phantom Ganon hopped onto him. He pulled out a large staff and held it in his hand. "We ride, Nightmare, on to the Forest Temple!" The horse rode forward, striking the wall and passing through it, leaving the wall unharmed. Ganondorf just laughed.

Phantom Ganon rode his horse forward as the day grew to night. He rode to the Forest Temple where he patiently waited for Link to arrive, for when he did, he would be in for the ride of his life. 


	7. Saria, the Sage of Forest

**Chapter 7: Saria, the Sage of the Forest**

"Go, Link!" Navi shouted as Link trained. Link and Navi were in the middle of Hyrule Plain. Link was surrounded a huge amount of Stalchildren, which were the kid version of Stalfos. They usually rose from the ground during the night, but ever since Ganondorf got the Triforce, they had been popping up all the time, both during the day and during the night.

Link pulled his sword behind him and smirked. "KaiTenGiri!" he shouted, spinning around in a circle. A blue light came from his sword, swirling around Link. It smashed into several of the Stalchildren, destroying them, but several were left. Link quickly pulled the sword close to him and swung hard against several of them, making them explode. "Ha!"

At that moment, a ghost-like monster appeared in front of Link. It laughed some, then spoke. "Well, what do we have here? The Hero of Time, are you not?"

"Get away from me," Link spoke, staring at the ghost-like monster.

"Poe not hurt you. Poe like you."

"Well, Poe better go away, or Poe find himself in big trouble."

"Poe stay right here!" The monster, now known as Poe, spoke, giving an attitude.

"Fine," Link said and held the master sword in front of his face. In a single swing, Poe screamed and exploded. Link growled and began to walk off. Navi followed him closely.

"Link, you've been doing good," Navi said. "You're getting better at using the Master Sword."

"But I'm not good enough," Link said, pushing Navi off. Navi growled.

"You may not be good enough, but you are good. Perhaps we should take a break?"

"We are, Navi."

"Oh, right!" Navi sweatdropped. She landed on Link's shoulder and sighed. "You know, Link. I just realized that I'm always glowing like this, and you've never actually seen my true form underneath this ball of light."

Link blinked at that. "Yeah, that's true…but I've never really thought about that either…I guess it's not that important to me. What's important to me right now is finding Zelda and making sure she's okay."

Navi growled. "Fine!" she spoke loudly. "I guess you don't care about me!"

"I care about you. After all, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I'm just saying, right now I want to find Zelda, I'm not worried about what you look like underneath a blue bubble."

Navi growled some. "Fine…" She didn't care what Link said. She looked around for a moment, then the blue orb around her disappeared. Underneath the blue orb of light was a beautiful little girl. She had long brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a blue outfit as well, and the outfit matched her eyes perfectly. She brushed her hair from her face and looked around again. _Perhaps I should just stay like this,_ Navi thought._ I never did like being in the glowing orb, anyway. Sure, why not? I can stay like this! I think anyway._

Link continued to walk on, taking the occasional glance at Navi. He didn't really care what she looked like under the orb, but since she had already removed the orb of light, he figured he might as well look. He thought she was cute, but unlike Navi was hoping, it didn't make Link like her anymore then just a friend. Navi was a little unhappy about that, but she shrugged it off quickly.

"Navi, we're here," Link spoke suddenly.

"And…where exactly is…'here'?" Navi asked.

"The Kokiri Forest, Navi. We're back at the forest. I can't wait to see my friends again." Link smiled as he began to walk forward, the wind blowing in his face. Navi just about smacked herself over the head when Link told her where they were. She had completely forgotten about the forest. "Do you think Saria is okay?" Link asked, stopping in his tracks.

"I'm sure she is. Let's just go in."

"Right," Link said, nodding. He then walked forward, heading into the forest. It was a long trip through the forest, but they finally reached the long bridge that connected the outside world and the rest of the forest with the Kokiri Village. Link smiled and ran across the bridge. "Saria!" he shouted. "I'm back!"

Upon entrance of the small Kokiri Village, Link looked around. The forest seemed deserted, and his smile quickly changed into a frown. "What is this?" he asked. "Where is everyone?" He walked forward, looking around. "Why is it so silent? Shouldn't the Kokiri be enjoying themselves? What happened here?" An answer to his question soon came.

From the ground beneath Link's feet, a large Deku Baba appeared. The Deku Baba is a large flower-like monster that looks extremely old and decayed. They are also not a safe thing to be around, considering they have large fangs and have a tendency to eat anything they can reach. Link let out a scream as the Deku Baba pushed him off, then looked at him. It drooled as it opened its mouth, showing it's large fangs. "Dinner!" the Deku Baba spoke, then dived to eat Link.

Link quickly pulled out the Master Sword and swung, slicing the Deku Baba at the stem. Its head fell forward, slamming into the ground. It seemed to immediately decay, leaving a large stick in its place. "Link, those things do grow back, you know?" Navi said, reminding Link of the most important thing about Deku Babas.

"I know," Link responded.

"Then I suggest we…run!" Navi shouted.

"That might be a smart idea." Link quickly turned and began to run as the Deku Baba began to grow back. He had already made it halfway across the Kokiri Village by the time the Deku Baba had grown back completely. "That was close."

"Link, let's find Saria."

"Right." Link nodded and looked around. He rushed over to Saria's house and ran inside. "Saria?" he asked, looking around. His face showed fear when he noticed Saria wasn't there. His expression then changed to horror when he saw blood stained on the walls of Saria's house. Worry, fear, and even sadness were all flooding through him now. He was worried that Saria might be dead. He quickly ran out, finding himself running into a small Kokiri. He looked down and blinked. "Mido?"

The Kokiri looked up at Link. It was Mido, the stubborn Kokiri child that called himself the boss of the Kokiri. "Where is he!" He shouted suddenly. Link blinked.

"Where is who?"

"That creep who caused all this! He left us seven years ago, and he hasn't come back since him and Saria went off on their adventure. Saria and Navi came back, but Link didn't come back, even after Navi left to get him. He was out there, and you came from out there, so tell me where he is!"

Link realized who he was talking about and tried to think of something. Mido growled. "That creep…after he left…all of this happened. Saria ran off to the Temple to try and stop all of this, but she hasn't come back. It's all that jerk Link's fault."

"Saria went to the temple?" Link asked. "Please, where is the temple you speak of?"

Mido looked at Link for a moment. "I'm not telling you!" He then turned and ran off. Link followed close behind. Mido soon accidentally led Link to the temple. He didn't even realize that Link was behind him. He didn't even realize who Link was. He just thought Link was a man from outside, and not the man he actually was.

Mido got to the temple and quickly began to climb the rough cave wall that the temple was carved into. The stairways to the temple were in ruins, and the only way up to the entrance was to climb. Link followed behind him, and soon the two of them reached the entrance and entered. Mido still didn't notice Link, because he had already entered the temple before Link could climb up.

Mido looked around and picked up a nearby stick. "All right, I know you're here! Show yourselves!" At that moment, two large Wolfos appeared from above, pouncing on Mido. They growled and snarled, and soon found themselves howling in pain as Link's sword went through them. Mido looked up and saw Link standing there, his sword drawn.

"Mido, tell me where Saria is."

"How do you know my name? Who are you?" Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time and began to play Saria's song on it. "That song…Saria plays that song a lot…she also taught it to only her best friends…" Mido looked around for a moment, then smiled. "All right, I trust you. Come with me. Saria's in the temple somewhere."

Link smiled. "Thank you, Mido." The two of them began to walk forward, venturing through the Forest Temple. The temple was dark and full of traps. Mido led the way, all the way to a large empty room.

"This is the last place I saw her," Mido said. "I was standing right here, and Saria was over there." He pointed to the center of the room. "I remember she walked over there, then she vanished into thin air."

Link blinked. "She vanished? What do you mean 'she vanished'?"

"I mean she vanished! One moment she was there, and the next she wasn't!"

"Now that's strange." Link walked forward. He walked right up to where Saria had disappeared, and immediately four torches around him lit. They each had different colors. Link looked at them, then the flames went out and four ghost-like monsters appeared. "Poes!" Link shouted. The Poes laughed and vanished. Link growled. "What have you done with Saria!" he shouted.

"Want the girl, find us," a voice said, apparently belonging to one of the Poes. It was a female voice, which meant at least one of them was female.

"Link, those were Amy, Meg, Joelle, and Beth. They're the Poe Sisters that guard the entrance to the lower level of the Forest Temple. Some say that a phantom lives there. No one is sure, though, since no one who has entered the temple has returned alive." At that, Navi shivered. "I'm scared."

"It's okay, Navi," Link said, then looked to Mido. Apparently, he hadn't heard anything, so he walked back.

"So…what just happened…?" Mido asked.

"The Poe Sisters captured Saria, I think. I'm going to go get them."

"Let me come, too. Please, aniki, please let me come." Link blinked a bit. He couldn't believe that Mido was calling him "aniki." He smiled and nodded, letting Mido know he could come. "Thank you. I have to do something to help. I want to save the forest and Saria."

"I do, too, Mido." Link turned and began to walk off. Navi followed behind, with Mido following right behind her. The three of them ventured through the large forest temple. The temple was really big. It had about three floors, and even included about three courtyards; each was about the size of the courtyard from Hyrule Castle. The main room, where they had met the four Poe Sisters, was large, around the size of what the three courtyards would be if they were all one courtyard, which meant it was pretty big.

The three of them soon reached one of the courtyards. Link looked around for a moment. "Poe Sisters! Come out!" Link shouted.

"We'll come out, but first you find us," one of the Poe Sisters said. Link looked around, then looked up. High above him was one of the Poe Sisters. She was floating over the top of the doorway they had just come through. The doorway was big, though, so Link couldn't reach her. "I see you, you see me. You want your girl, you fight!" the Poe Sister, Amy, said.

"Fine, then we'll fight you, and we'll fight the others as well if we have to."

Amy laughed. "Prepare for death." Amy flew forward at him, then disappeared, the only thing that gave away her location was her small torch. Link pulled out his sword and watched the torch fly around.

"You won't be able to harm her until she appears," Navi whispered into Link's ears, then whispered the same thing into Mido's ears.

"Right," Link said, nodding. He watched for a moment as the torch flew around. It began to spin, then began to come at them. Link quickly did a back flip, jumping out of the torches path. Amy growled and appeared into view. Mido then sent his foot into Amy's side, as she had appeared right next to him. The kick did nothing, however, and his foot passed right through her. Amy laughed and looked at him.

"You no hurt me!"

"But I can!" Link spoke, jumped into the air, then brought his sword down in front of him. The sword collided with Amy, who let out a shriek of pain. She exploded, and a red fire shot off, heading back into the main room. Link followed the flame, noticing it had gone and lit the torch in the center of the room. He smiled and walked across the main room, heading through another door.

This door led to another courtyard, and again, there was a Poe Sister in here. "Poe Sisters! Show yourself!" Link shouted.

"I am here, but can you find me?" a Poe Sister spoke. Link looked all around, trying to find her. He then looked up, just like last time. She was there, high above him. She was on a balcony that was overtop of the doorway. Link growled and grabbed some of the nearby vines, climbing the best he could to get to the balcony.

"Aniki, be careful!" Mido shouted up to him.

"I will!" Link shouted back. Link climbed more, working harder and harder to get to the balcony. It was hard, and the Poe Sister just watched. She laughed a little as she touched her torch against one of the vines. The vine slowly began to burn, then snapped apart. Link could feel the vine snap as he held it and several others in his hand.

The Poe Sister laughed as she burned another one, making it snap as well. Link could feel the support in the other vines weakening because of the increased work they had to do. Another snapped, and the vines grew weaker still. Another snapped, this time without having to be burned. Link growled, noticing he didn't have much time left before the other vines would also give way.

"Climb down, now, or you will surely die when you fall."

"I…will not…fall…" Link said, straining to climb. The vines were growing weaker, and he could feel their strength weakening. The Poe Sister burned another one, making it snap. A couple others caught fire at the same time as the first snapped, and they, too, after a moment, snapped. Link now had to climb with only one handful of vines. He could feel that handful weakening as the weight they were forced to carry increased.

"Give up, now, or fall to your doom!"

"I won't!" Link shouted. The vines snapped as Link pushed himself up, quickly grabbing onto the balcony. Mido watched in horror as Link dangled from the balcony.

"Come on, aniki, you can do it!" Mido shouted. Link growled and pulled himself up onto the balcony. He looked right at the Poe Sister and smiled.

"I made it up. Now give back Saria!"

"You want her, you fight!"

Link sighed. "Fine." He drew the Master Sword once again. The Poe Sister, now notified as Beth, vanished, like Amy had done, her torch the only thing visible. Link watched the torch fly around for a moment, then did a back flip, carefully dodging the torches attack. Beth growled and then appeared. Link quickly swung the Master Sword, striking her. Beth shrieked in pain, but quickly shook off the pain, going back to the battle.

Beth twirled her torch around in front of her as she vanished. She then moved forward, moving the torch closer to Link. Link quickly struck the torch with the Master Sword, and the torch exploded, forcing the Beth away and onto the ground. Link quickly tossed the Master Sword, striking her. She shrieked in pain, then exploded. A blue fire shot from her and went straight to the main room. Link carefully climbed back down the remaining vines.

Link was almost on the ground when the last few vines snapped, and caused him to fall down, landing on his back. "Ow!" he shouted. He had barely fallen, anywhere, but he had fallen onto his sword's hilt, and it struck his back hard. It hurt some, but not as bad as it would have had it been the other side he landed on.

Link stood to his feet, holding his back. He straightened and his back cracked. He moved some, cracking his back some more. He then turned, bent down, and grabbed his sword. Upon bending down, his back cracked again. He straightened again, making one final crack, which set his back into place once again.

Link looked to Mido. "You okay, Mido?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mido said. "What about you?"

"I'm fine."

"So, that makes two of the Poe Sisters down. That leaves two more, right?"

"Yeap, two more, and we'll be able to end this."

"That's good." Link and Mido walked off. Navi watched for a moment, then pushed her brown hair out of her face as she flew forward, landing on Mido's head. The three of them journeyed on, heading to the last of the three courtyards.

"Poe Sisters! Show yourself!" Link shouted as they entered.

"Find me, fight me, your girl you get."

"Let's do this." Link walked forward into the center of the courtyard. Immediately, the third Poe Sister, Joelle, appeared. She flew above him, then came down next to him.

"Can you find me? I don't think you can." Joelle vanished, not even her torch was visible. Link growled and looked around. The courtyard was huge, she could have been anywhere. Joelle laughed. "You can't find me!"

Link quickly turned his head in the direction the voice had come from. "Are you so sure of that?"

"Yes, I am," Joelle spoke, and Link began to walk towards the voice.

"We'll just see about that!" Link held the Master Sword in his hand as he grew closer to a nearby wall. There was a large painting on the wall. It was a picture of Joelle. Link walked up to it and put his sword behind him. It lit up in a pink light, and he spun the sword around. "KaiTenGiri!" he shouted as he spun around. A beam shot in a circle around him and Joelle screamed as the picture was destroyed, revealing her.

"You little wretch! You will die!" Joelle threw her torch at Link, who quickly hit the torch with his sword, like a person would hit a baseball with his bat. The torch exploded and Joelle let out a shriek. "No! My lovely torch!" Link stepped back, readied his sword, then ran forward. He jumped into the air, and brought his sword down on Joelle. She shrieked in pain as the sword struck her and she exploded. Like the others, when she exploded, a flame shot off to the main room, this one was yellow.

"Yay! Way to go, aniki!" Mido shouted. "Only one more left."

"Yeap, so let's go do this." Link, Mido, and Navi all walked back into the main room. Link immediately drew the Master Sword when he saw what was in front of him.

"Aniki, isn't that…the last Poe Sister?" Mido asked.

"Yes, that's Meg," Navi responded. Mido looked at her. She looked more dangerous then any of the others. Link walked forward, sword in hand.

"Release Saria!" Link demanded.

"You want girl, you beat Nightmare first," Meg said.

"Nightmare? Who's that?"

"You need not know, for you no survive this!" Meg vanished, then, when she re-appeared, Link found himself surrounded by four Poes, and they all looked exactly like Meg.

"Link!" Navi spoke. "One of those is Meg, while the other three are copies."

"That's not much help, Navi! Which is which?"

"I have no idea! You expect me to know! How am I supposed to know!"

"All right! Just shut up, Navi!"

Mido blinked at the whole conversation. The fairy apparently was named Navi, and the guy was named Link. Suddenly, it hit him._ That jerks name was Link, and his fairy was Navi. I wonder if these two are the same people, then, but how can they be? They've both gotten older, and Kokiri don't age. No, it can't be him. It's just a coincidence that these two are named the same._

Link looked at the four Megs. He had to pick one, and fast. He readied his sword, then jumped at one of them. It vanished, and the real Meg laughed and spun around. "You can't figure out which one I am," the three Megs said in unison.

"Yes, I can!" Link said, seeing Meg spin around for a moment. He quickly ran up to her and sliced her with his sword. She shrieked in pain, then vanished, taking her copies with her. She appeared again, after a moment, once again with three copies of herself. Link watched them, waiting to see which one was real.

"You can't find me, now!" all four of them said in unison.

"Are you so sure?" Link put his sword behind him and it lit up. He held his sword there for a moment, then he spun around. "KaiTenGiri!" he shouted as he spun, and the three copies were immediately destroyed. He quickly looked at the real one, then ran forward, slicing her with his blade. She let out a shriek of pain once again. She exploded, and a purple flame shot up at the last unlit torch.

"Yes!" Mido shouted. "Way to go, aniki! You did it!"

"Yes, but it isn't over, yet." After a moment, the ground under Link shook, and a large platform rose from the ground. He quickly hopped onto the platform and waved for Navi to come with him. Mido followed along as well, and the three of them went down to the lower level.

The platform stopped when it touched the ground and Link looked around. The room they were now in was enormous. It was full of skeletons, and Link felt very uncomfortable. He knew the skeletons could come to life as Stalfos at any moment if they were enchanted, and Link didn't want to stay around to find out. Link began to walk forward, towards a large picture he saw in the room. Mido looked down, then began to dig through the bones. He had spotted something, and he didn't know anything about Stalfos.

Link walked right up to the picture and looked at it. The picture was of Ganondorf, and Link stared at it. "Ganondorf has hold of this temple right now. We need to find the one that Meg was talking about so we can free it."

"I'm right here," a voice spoke.

"Who's there!" Link shouted.

"I am!" Straight from the picture came the head of a horse. As the horse came out more, a rider was seen on it. "I am Phantom Ganon, and I will destroy you!" The rider looked exactly like Ganondorf, except his face was a flaming skull instead. Even the horse looked like Ganondorf's horse.

"Phantom Ganon, huh?" Link asked. "Well, I'll still defeat you, even if you are a phantom form of Ganondorf."

Phantom Ganon laughed. "Foolish boy. I shall be the one who destroys you!" Nightmare, the horse, neighed and rode off towards the picture he had come out of. He slammed into it, and then disappeared inside of it.

"What the heck?" Link asked, watching. "Fine, I'll still defeat you, even if you want to play it that way." Phantom Ganon laughed and a small circle of black appeared on the picture. Suddenly Phantom Ganon launched out of it, then, without time enough to react, Link was struck by Phantom Ganon's staff, and then Phantom Ganon was back in the picture. "That's…not fair…I can't even touch him if he does that."

"Aniki!" Mido shouted. "Look what I found!" He held up a bow in his hand. In the other hand was a quiver of arrows.

"Throw those here!" Link shouted.

"Right!" Mido shouted back and tossed them to him. Link quickly strapped on the quiver and pulled out an arrow. He aimed it at the picture as the black circle appeared once more. Link waited a moment, then released the arrow at the last moment. The arrow shot forward and struck Nightmare, just as it came out. Phantom Ganon was thrown back into the picture, and Nightmare began to move around a lot, knocking off a part of the picture frame.

"No!" Phantom Ganon shouted. "You will pay for this, Link!" The frame of the picture fell apart causing the picture to fall to the ground and break. Nightmare burst into flames, and, after a moment, the horse was completely gone, and so was Phantom Ganon.

Link smiled and looked to Mido. "Thanks, Mido," he said.

"No problem, aniki. I'm just glad I could help." At that moment, a glowing light appeared in front of Link. Link watched the light take form in the shape of Saria.

"Saria?" Link asked.

"Link?" Saria asked as she looked up and opened her eyes. "Oh, Link! You're still alive! I waited for you for seven years. I thought you were dead."

"No, Saria, I'm alive."

"Thank the goddesses." Saria smiled. "Come with me." Saria held out her hand. Link looked at her hand, then at her. He reached forward and took her hand. There was a flash of light, and Link found himself inside the Chamber of Sages. In front of him was Rauru and Saria.

"Link, I thank you for awakening Saria," Rauru said, then looked at them. "I shall leave you two alone now." Rauru closed his eyes, and, in a flash of light, he was gone. Link smiled and looked at Saria.

"Link," Saria began. "I'm glad you're alive."

"I'm glad you're alive, too, Saria."

"I love you," Saria said, hugging Link.

"I love you, too, Saria," Link said, hugging Saria and holding her firmly.

"Link…" Saria spoke, sounding almost scared.

"What is it, Saria?"

"Link…you know that we can't be together now. You're a Hylian, I'm a Kokiri and a sage. We can't be together, because we don't live in the same world."

"Saria, don't say that. We can be together."

"No, Link, we can't." Saria broke from the hug, looking into Link's eyes. "We don't live in the same world. I won't grow up, and you will. I won't die, you will. We can't be together."

"Saria, please, we can try to be. I know we can be if we try. I love you too much to give you up."

"If you love me at all, you will give me up." Saria was almost crying when she said that.

"I can't, Saria. I just…can't…"

"Link, there's nothing you can do. There's nothing I can do. I want you to have this, then I want you to go." Saria held out her hand. In her hand was a small medallion with the symbol of the forest. Link took it and looked at her.

"Saria, I will find a way to get us together."

"There is no way!" Saria said, about to cry.

"Yes, there is, Saria. I will prove it to you. I will find a way to bring us together."

"Just…go!" Saria shouted and turned. She began to cry and Link walked forward, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Saria…"

"Go!" Saria shouted again and Link nodded. He turned and walked off, stepping on the Triforce symbol in the center. He stepped into the center, and he disappeared. Saria was left there, still crying.

"Saria," Rauru said.

"Rauru," Saria said, looking up at him, tears were in her eyes and running down her cheeks.

"You know the truth. You know the way to make it so you and him can be together again, why do you not tell him?"

"Because…I can't…I don't want him focusing on me his whole life. I love him, but he has a place to rescue. Maybe…when this is over…I'll do something…"

Rauru sighed. "All right, Saria."

Meanwhile, back in Hyrule, Link appeared near the Forest Temple. Mido had already gotten out and was waiting at the front of the temple. "Aniki! You're back!" Mido spoke loudly.

"Yes, I'm back," Link smiled.

"What happened to Saria?"

"She's in another world now. So she won't be coming back."

"You mean…she's dead now?"

"No, not dead, just in another world. She's still alive, and very alive at that."

"Well, as long as she isn't dead, then that's okay." Mido smiled.

"Mido, I have to go now, okay? I'll see if I can come back time from time, but I'm going to be extremely busy now, and I might not be able to return for a long time."

"Okay, aniki. I'll guard the forest for you, don't you worry."

Link smiled. "Okay," he said. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the slingshot, the boomerang, and even the sword that he had when he was a kid. "A friend of yours wanted you to have these."

"A…friend of mine?" Mido blinked. "You mean…he considers me…a friend…even after all the fighting we did?"

"Well, seven years has taught him a valuable lesson," Link said, smiling. "Mido, if he ever comes back to the forest, will you be his friend?"

"Yes, I will," Mido answered and smiled. "After he said that he wanted to be my friend, and even after all we've been through, the answer would be yes."

"Good, I'm sure he will be happy." Link smiled and stood to his feet. "May Saria aid you in protecting this forest and its temple." Mido smiled and Link walked off. He left the village, and, just before crossing the bridge, he waved to Mido.

"Shouldn't you tell him who you are?" Navi asked.

"Nah, he doesn't need to know. This way, when I come back, it'll be as friends. Perhaps one day, I will tell him, and maybe one day, he'll figure it out on his own."

Mido waved back and looked at the items Link had given him. "Seven years…" he looked up. "I guess he really was different from us. I feel bad for all the mean things I said. He aged, and I didn't. He got wiser, and I didn't. If I ever see him again, I know we'll be friends."

Link walked on, now. He had another job to do. After awakening the forest sage, he had to go awaken the other sages. This would prove to be an interesting time indeed. Seven years had passed since he pulled the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, and now he was stronger, older, and wiser. He had to complete his task, and he would do it at any cost.


	8. The Dragon of Death Mountain

A/N: This is a sad chapter (to me). I spent much time writing it because of the sadness in this particular chapter. Im not afraid to say it, I almost cried when writing it. So, if you cry, that's ok, I did after all. If you think I'm a dork or whatever for that, oh well, that's just me.

* * *

** Chapter 8: The Dragon of Death Mountain**

"Shoot him!" Navi shouted. "Link, shoot him!" Link and Navi were at the top of Death Mountain, standing in front of a large dragon. The dragon was staring at them, roaring. It's body was long and slim. It had hair on its head that seemed to be made of fire. The beasts fangs were large, and dangerous. "Link! Just shoot Volvagia!" Navi shouted. Link was holding his bow and arrow in his hand. He had an arrow pulled back, aimed at Volvagia, but he just couldn't fire. "Link!"

"Link, please, kill him!" a nearby Goron spoke.

"I…" Link held the bow and arrow there for a moment longer, then dropped them. "I can't do it…I can't shoot my friend…" Volvagia roared and breathed in, fire beginning to form in his mouth.

"Link!" Navi shouted and Link looked up. Link's eyes widened, and he was struck by a huge blast of fire. Link fell back, falling into the hole behind him that led to Goron City. As he fell, he imagined a voice saying his name. It was a nice, peaceful voice. It was the voice of an old friend. Link landed on the ground, and he remembered what had happened only a short time before.

* * *

"Go, Link!" Navi shouted. Link was training hard and fast. All around him were Stalchildren, and he was determined to take them all out. One by one, they each fell, but more came after him. It was getting tiring. Link jumped back as one of the Stalchildren swung at him. 

"I'm going, Navi!" Link shouted. Link jumped again, this time he held his sword high. "Let's try this." He stood on the ground, legs split partially apart. He looked at the large group of Stalchildren that were now charging at him. He pointed his sword forward, then placed it to his side. It glowed and Link roared. "Forest beam!" he shouted. He swung his sword in a full arch, releasing a huge sword beam at the Stalchildren.

The beam went flying forward, and the Stalchildren tried to run, but the beam caught them and destroyed them. Link stuck his sword in the ground, then bent over and panted. "This is getting more and more difficult," he said, panting for breath. "They keep coming at me…"

"You're the Hero of Time!" Navi shouted. "Do you expect them to just decide to leave you alone? You have to keep training, Link. You'll never win unless you become stronger. You must be an equal match to Ganondorf before you fight him."

"No," Link responded. "I must be stronger then him."

"That's going to be hard to do," Navi said and sighed, "but, it's the only way to beat him."

"Yes, it is." Link stood to his feet and took the Master Sword from the ground. He placed it in his sheath and looked around. Suddenly, there was a loud roar and he turned around to see what it was.

"Link!" Navi shouted. "Look!" She pointed to Death Mountain. Since she wasn't glowing, Link was able to see her point. Link looked, and his eyes went wide. Death Mountain was far away, but he could see a large dragon that had just come from the crater of the mountain. "Link, I think the Gorons might be in trouble!"

Link nodded. "Let's go." The two of them quickly ran forward, heading to Death Mountain. It would take at least an hour to get there, so they knew that it would already be too late, but Link knew that he had to do something, even if it meant being too late. He had been too late to save Saria from the monsters inside the Forest Temple. He had been seven years too late, but even so, he still went in to save her.

An hour passed, and finally the two of them reached the bottom of Death Mountain. The dragon was still attacking, and now Link could see the dragon's face. "Volvagia?" Link asked, blinking. He was stopped in his tracks.

"Link! Come on!" Navi shouted. "We've got to help the Gorons, if there is anything left of them!"

Link snapped out of it and nodded. "Right," Link said, nodding. The two of them ran up the path, heading to the Goron City. Link drew his sword as they ran, ready to battle anything they encountered. About halfway to the City, a small group of Tektites stopped them. Link readied his sword, ready for battle. The tektites looked him over for a moment, then, Link ran forward and sliced one of them in half. Immediately, they all reacted and attacked.

Link jumped back when they attacked, holding his sword tight. He swung again, chopping another in half. He quickly ran forward, then did a front flip, landing behind them. He faced them and began to attack. The tektites had no reacting time, and were soon taken out. Link looked up again. _Volvagia…what are you doing?_ He thought. Link began to run up to the Goron City once again, Navi following close behind.

They soon reached the Goron City, and entered. Link held his sword, just in case. It was obvious that the Goron's were in need of help. Volvagia was attacking something in the City, but Link doubted that it was the Gorons. Link looked around, then saw Volvagia's head break through the earth above them. Volvagia looked around the cave, then roared as he stuck his head in. "Volvagia!" Link shouted. "What are you doing?"

Volvagia roared and sent a huge blast of fire at Link. Link was caught off guard, and was struck by the attack. He stood to his feet and looked at Volvagia. "Volvagia…it's me…Link! Don't you recognize me?"

"Link…" Volvagia's deep voice spoke. He growled, then roared loudly. A huge blast of fire came from his mouth, and it struck Link once again. Link was forced back, landing on the ground.

"Link!" Navi shouted. "Why you little…" Volvagia roared again and Navi quickly hid under Link's hat. Link looked up, his vision was starting to get blurry.

"Vol…Volvagia…" Link said, then his eyes closed, his head fell back, and he went unconscious.

Two hours later, Link found himself being rudely awakened. "Link!" He heard Navi's voice shout. "Wake up!" Navi shouted, then Link felt a blast of energy strike his stomach. It made him wake up and grab his stomach.

"What was that for!" Link shouted.

"I was trying to wake you up! Our friend, Darunia, is here! He saved you, Link!"

"Saved me?" Link looked up, seeing Darunia's sad face.

"Yes, I saved you," Darunia said. "If it had not been for me, Volvagia's 'Final Strike' attack would have killed you."

"I don't understand…" Link said, shaking his head, trying to wake himself up.

"When you were unconscious, Volvagia watched you. He didn't attack for a good hour, but then, he roared and spoke two words that anyone who knows dragons is afraid to here. He spoke the words 'Final Strike.' The Final Strike attack is an attack that uses all of the Dragon's energy. It focuses it into one big attack, and sends it at something. When it hits its target, the Final Strike attack flares off into several different directions, each one chosen specifically by the dragon. It incinerates whatever it touches."

Link's eyes went wide at that. Darunia looked at him, then looked away again. "I heard him roar his Final Strike, and I quickly grabbed you. I pulled you away, just as the attack flared out into the different directions. Volvagia flew off, and you were saved, but our home suffered greatly. We mourn the loss of many Gorons because of that attack, but at least we have a small chance to rebuild before the dragon attacks again."

"What happened to him?" Link asked.

"What do you mean?" Darunia asked.

"What happened to Volvagia? The last time I saw him, he was much smaller and much nicer. Why didn't he recognize me? I saved his life seven years ago, and he didn't recognize me…"

"I don't know, Link," Darunia said, looking up. "Ganondorf's magic probably had something to do with it."

"That creep…I'll kill him for that, then…" Link's face showed anger.

"Do not let yourself be fueled by anger, Link. It will only make Ganondorf stronger. He feeds on the hate, rage, and sorrow of others. So many Gorons lost their lives this day, but in order to keep Ganondorf from getting stronger, we have had to put away all emotion. Children live now within their parents, and they feel no sorrow, no anger. They are forced into making themselves think that nothing has happened, just so Ganondorf is not stronger. We can't mourn, we can't feel sorrow or anger. For even a tiny bit of that would make Ganondorf stronger."

"That's horrible," Link said, his eyes suddenly showed great sorrow for the Gorons. "You can't even give the Gorons a ceremony for dying in a battle against the enemy."

"Exactly. We can only celebrate that the dragon is gone. We must remain happy and joyful, even after the death of our men, women, and children."

"This is horrible," Link said. "That mad man must be stopped."

"Yes, he must, but none of us are strong enough to do anything. We cannot fight Volvagia ourselves, for we are not strong enough. Even if I had the mystic hammer that my ancestor created, I doubt that I could stop Volvagia."

"Mystic hammer?" Link asked.

"Yes, my ancestor, a thousand years ago, forged a hammer of great power. He called it the Megaton Hammer. It is said that a thousand years ago, a mighty dragon came to attack the Gorons, and my ancestor forged the hammer to defeat the dragon. He fought and destroyed the dragon, then he destroyed the dragon's eggs. All but one of them was destroyed. My ancestor brought the egg back with him, feeling like the egg would be of some strange importance. It was almost a thousand years before the egg hatched. When the egg finally did hatch, the Gorons said it was a bad omen, and they quickly got rid of the dragon hatchling. Seven years later, the hatchling has returned as a full grown dragon, and he seeks to destroy us."

"That hatchling…it must have been the one I saved…" Link said, closing his eyes. "How horrible is this?"

"Link, you must destroy Volvagia. It is the only way. We cannot survive as long as that dragon lives."

"I can't destroy him, though…"

"You must!" Darunia shouted. He sighed and looked at Link. "Link, every once in a while, we must give up the things that we treasure in order for the world to be saved. You must put away your feelings. You must destroy Volvagia, for if you cannot, then neither can I. If you cannot, though, then I shall be forced to take action, and I will be forced to fight him, even though I know I will lose. I know this is asking a lot from you, but you have no choice."

Link sighed. "I…I don't know…"

"You don't have to know, you just have to do it."

Link sighed again and nodded. "All right, I'll do it." He stood up, his face showing no emotion. "I have to do it, for the sake of Hyrule, and in remembrance of the dead Gorons, I must do it." Link walked forward, sword in hand.

"Link, take this," Darunia handed Link a red tunic. Link took it and looked at Darunia. "This is a special tunic. If you wear it, you'll be able to withstand Volvagia's fire attacks." Link nodded and put the tunic on. He then walked to the Death Mountain crater and looked forward.

"Volvagia!" Link shouted. There was a loud roar, and Volvagia's head appeared from the lava below. Link looked at Volvagia. He held back all of his emotions.

"Link…" Volvagia spoke, and Link's eyes widened. Volvagia and him stared at each other for a moment. In a quick move, Volvagia swung at Link with one of his claws, and knocked Link back. Volvagia came up from the lava, and began to attack. Link was forced back to the path, and Volvagia kept watching him. Link soon found that he had no where to go. He was now in front of Goron City, and he couldn't go anywhere else.

"Volvagia…" Link said, pulling out his bow and an arrow. He pointed his arrow at Volvagia, looking at him right in the eyes. Volvagia looked at Link in the eyes. "Volvagia…please remember me…" The two continued to stare each other down.

"Link…" Volvagia spoke after a moment. Link held the arrow in place, not letting go. He had to release it, but he couldn't. A Goron came out from the Goron City, only to see Link and Volvagia staring each other down.

"Shoot him!" Navi shouted. "Link, shoot him!" Link and Navi were at the top of Death Mountain, standing in front of a large dragon. The dragon was staring at them, roaring. It's body was long and slim. It had hair on its head that seemed to be made of fire. The beasts fangs were large, and dangerous. "Link! Just shoot Volvagia!" Navi shouted. Link was holding his bow and arrow in his hand. He had an arrow pulled back, aimed at Volvagia, but he just couldn't fire. "Link!"

"Link, please, kill him!" the Goron that had come from the city shouted.

"I…" Link held the bow and arrow there for a moment longer, then dropped them. "I can't do it…I can't shoot my friend…" Volvagia roared and breathed in, fire beginning to form in his mouth.

"Link!" Navi shouted and Link looked up. Link's eyes widened, and he was struck by a huge blast of fire. Link fell back, falling into the hole behind him that led to Goron City. As he fell, he imagined a voice saying his name. It was a nice, peaceful voice. It was the voice of an old friend. It was the voice of Volvagia. Link landed on the ground below, and soon he fell unconscious.

* * *

"Link," a voice spoke. Link opened his eyes slightly. "Link, wake up, Hero of Time." Link opened his eyes more, his vision was blurry. 

"Who's there?" Link asked.

"Welcome back to the real world," the voice said. Link's eyes shot wide open. Link was now wearing bandages on his face and hands. Link grunted as he sat up quickly. "No, don't," the voice said. Link felt hands touch him, and he was pushed back against the cave wall. Link turned his head, and there, he saw a man standing next to him. The man wasn't a very tall man, about as tall as Link, and probably about the same age. He had his face covered, only his eyes and a small amount of blonde hair showed from the covering on his face. He wore a blue outfit, and on the front of it was a gray triangle, which had a large eye on it.

Link looked at the man for a moment. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Shiek, one of the last of the Shiekah Tribe," the man answered.

"Link!" Navi shouted. "You're okay!" She quickly flew over and hugged him.

"Ow!" Link shouted and Navi quickly let go.

"Are you okay?" Link just glared at her.

"You're lucky. If you hadn't been wearing those Goron clothes, you'd probably be dead. It would have been a shame for the Hero of Time to have died."

"Because everyone who fought Ganondorf would be gone, right?" Link asked.

"Yes, and the only one who can slay that wicked dragon…is you."

"He's not an evil dragon…" Link spoke, and Shiek just looked at him strangely. Suddenly, a small Goron child ran up to Link.

"Link!" The child shouted. "Daddy Darunia ran off to fight the dragon! You must slay that dragon, or else my Daddy will get eaten! The dragon is a sign to the other races that if anyone disobeys Ganondorf, that Ganondorf's wrath will fall upon them."

"I can't do it…" The Goron child began to cry.

"Daddy's always talking about you…He's always saying 'Link is our brother.' If you are, then save him!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't…I can't fight Volvagia…"

"If you want to break the spell on the dragon," Shiek began, "you'll have no choice but to kill it."

"Don't say it so simply!" Link shouted. "No matter what…I'll make him remember!"

Shiek looked up as the mountain began to shake. "It's rested," he said. "It comes!" Link could feel the shaking in the ground. He closed his eyes tight.

"The Goron people…The Goron City…" Link looked around. The shaking was growing more, and the cave around them was starting to collapse.

"If he continues to act violently, at this rate, Death Mountain will erupt violently," Shiek spoke. "When that happens, the Gorons will all die, and even worse. When Death Mountain erupts, Kakariko Village and Hyrule Plain…Everything will be covered in molten lava…" Link looked around.

"He was there…seven years ago…it happened shortly after I left the forest…" Link began explaining. "I was walking through Hyrule. He was there…on a shop stall…in a cage…" Link closed his eyes. "I had to help him, so I bought him with all the money I had."

* * *

Link was remembering what happened. He was a kid again, and in his hand were seventy rupees. "Sir, is this enough?" he asked, looking at the seller of the dragon. 

"Yes, that is just enough," the man said. "You may have that worthless piece of junk." Link took the cage and walked off.

"You're not worthless, are you?" Link asked, smiling. He walked into Hyrule Plain, far away from the castle. He set the cage on the ground and opened it. "There you go, you're free now." The small dragon inside began to walk forward. It was very small, and looked like it had just hatched a few weeks before. It walked out of it's caged and looked around. It looked at Link and bit him. "Hey! Ow!" Link shouted. He quickly picked up the dragon by his tail. "How dare you! I just saved you!" The dragon just laughed, then belched out a huge blast of fire. Link just growled. "Fine!" He dropped the dragon and began to walk off. The dragon got a look of sadness and began to follow him.

"Link, the little guy's following you," Navi said.

"I don't care," Link said, looking away. Link walked on, and soon it became night. Link built a small campfire and began took a fish on it. The dragon slowly walked forward.

"It's still there, Link," Navi said. Link looked at the small dragon. It had a look of hunger in its eyes.

"Aww…" Link looked at the fish he had just cooked, then looked at the dragon. "Do you want some?" he asked. The dragon quickly ran forward, snatched the fish right out of Link's hands, then ran off. "Hey!" Link shouted. He began to chase the dragon. Suddenly, a Stalchild jumped up behind Link. The dragon saw the Stalchild and quickly belched fire at him. The Stalchild was immediately incinerated, and Link blinked. "A monster?" he then looked at the dragon. "You saved me…"

"L-link…" the Dragon spoke. Link's eyes went wide.

"He said my name!" Link shouted.

"There are some dragons who can remember words. This is the first I've ever actually seen, though." Link smiled.

"Who cares! From now on, we're best friends forever!" Link picked up the dragon and smiled. They played for a while, then slept together. The next few days were fun filled and they all had several good laughs.

* * *

"And that's what happened," Link said, finishing up his story. 

Shiek sighed. "You must put away all emotion."

Link shook his head. "No, I'll make him remember, no matter what." Link walked forward, determination his face. Link walked out of the Goron City, the Master Sword was in his hand.

"Link, take this," Shiek handed him a large hammer. "This is the hammer that Darunia's ancestor forged, perhaps you'll need it, perhaps you won't." Link nodded.

"Thank you, Shiek." He took the hammer, then walked forward. He placed his sword back into his sheath, then held the hammer tight. He soon reached where Volvagia was, and he heard his roar. "Volvagia!" Link shouted. "Remember! Remember me!" he shouted. Volvagia looked at Link, his eyes had a look of anger. "It's me! Remember me!" he shouted.

Link jumped forward, and Volvagia roared. Link brought the hammer down on Volvagia's head and the dragon roared. Volvagia slammed into the ground below and roared again. Link slammed the hammer against Volvagia's head again, a look of determination still in his eyes. "Remember me!" Link shouted again. Volvagia roared again, the spell had taken complete control now. Link growled. "Ganondorf…for this, you will pay." Link dropped the hammer onto the ground and pulled out his sword.

"Remember!" Link shouted one last time, then brought the sword down onto Volvagia. Volvagia roared. His eyes changed as the spell disappeared on him.

"Link…" Volvagia spoke. Volvagia's eyes closed, and he died. Link growled, a look of deep sadness in his eyes.

"Friend, I pray that you rest in peace now," Link said and closed his eyes. Suddenly Link was taken away in a blinding flash of light, and placed in the Chamber of Sages. In front of him stood Rauru, Saria, and Darunia.

"Link, you did a brave thing," Rauru said. "It took great courage to do that. I don't think anyone else could have done it."

"Link, I'm really sorry," Saria said. She walked forward and hugged Link. Link knelt down and hugged Saria. The two hugged for a long time, and Darunia and Rauru just watched. Link was depressed. He wished he hadn't done what he had, but he knew he had no choice but to have done it. Finally, Saria and Link pulled away. Darunia then walked over to Link.

"Link, always remember your friends," Darunia said. "Even in death, they are still your friends. I'm sure Volvagia has forgiven you for what you had to do." Link nodded. He didn't look up. "Also, remember, it does not mean you are any less of a man if you cry. Crying is something everyone does, regardless of age or maturity. If you need to, then you can cry."

Link couldn't hold it back anymore. Darunia hugged Link and he began to cry. Saria walked over and hugged him as well. Rauru walked over as well. The three of them hugged Link, helping to comfort him. Link finally stopped crying after a while, and Darunia smiled. "There, do you feel better now?" he asked.

"Yeah," Link said, nodding.

"Link, we all love you and care for you. We're here if you need us. Just remember the ocarina you hold. Play my song, and you can talk to me about anything. I love you, Link, even if we can't be together." Link smiled and the two kissed. After a moment, they pulled apart and looked at each other.

"Link, I have a gift for you," Darunia said. Link looked at him. "This medallion holds my powers. Much like the medallions of Light and Forest that you got from Rauru and Saria, this will add to your power. I'm sorry that you had to kill your friend. I'm really sorry." Darunia handed Link the medallion, and they all hugged one last time. Then, Link was taken back to Hyrule Plain.

"So, Volvagia has failed?" Ganondorf asked. Shiek was now standing in front of Ganondorf. They were both in Ganondorf's castle.

"Yes, Sir Ganondorf," Shiek said. He was currently knelt down, his head facing downward.

"However, the hero is shaken by having killed his old friend. Now is a splendid chance." Ganondorf laughed some. "Shiek, watch over the successors." He turned, and looked at him. "Do you still have no clue as to Zelda's whereabouts?"

"Correct, I've checked all side, but so far-" Shiek was cut off.

"Catch them with haste, you must not allow the two of them to meet by any means!"

"I will be on my guard, sir." Shiek said, still looking down.

"Where is Link headed next?"

"The Water Temple, sir."

"Ahh, yes, the darkness within shall take care of Link. Watch over them, and make sure that the dark fool destroys Link."

"I will, sir."

"No, leave me sight," Ganondorf spoke, waving his hand.

"Yes, sir," Shiek said and stood to his feet. He walked out, a strange look was on his face. _Link, if only you knew,_ he thought as he walked out of the room, the door closing behind him. _Link, you must hurry! Only you can stop Ganondorf, but first, you must awaken all the sages. Hurry, Link! Awaken them, so that this mad man may finally be stopped!_


	9. The Darkness in the Water

**Chapter 9: The Darkness in the Water**

Link was once again out in Hyrule Plain training. He had to train as hard as he could. The world was depending on him, and he would never be able to save it unless he trained long and hard. With the new powers he had gotten from the sages, he knew he was stronger, but he also knew there would come a time when he would have to stop relying on those powers, and would have to fight with his own strength.

Link swung his sword, training hard. "Go, Link!" Navi shouted. "Keep going! Train hard!"

"Will you shut up!" Link shouted.

"Well, you don't have to be all mean about it." Link just growled. Suddenly, Navi felt a cold chill as an extremely cold wind hit her and Link. "Wow! What's with the cold?"

"I don't know, maybe we should go find out." Link and Navi both ran in the direction that the cold air was coming from. The closer to the source they got, the colder it got.

"Link…it's really cold…maybe we should…uhh…turn back?" Navi asked. Her teeth were chattering and she was shaking with cold. It was freezing, and with Navi as small as she was, it felt twice as cold as what Link felt it was.

"Just get into my hat. It should be nice and warm under there." Navi nodded and quickly flew under Link's hat. He was right. It was warm under Link's hat, and Navi smiled.

"Much better," Navi said as she made herself comfortable in Link's hat.

"I'm glad that you feel better," Link said, then began to walk onward. It was getting colder now, and they were getting closer to the source. Suddenly, Link stopped in his tracks when he realized where he was. "This is the entrance to Zora's Domain," he said. The waterfall had frozen, and the opening that led into the Zora's Domain was currently open. "The waterfall must have frozen after someone entered, otherwise it would still be closed." He jumped forward, landing on the ground of the cave that was behind the waterfall.

Link began to walk forward some more. As he looked around, he noticed that all the water was now ice. The majestic waterfall that came from King Zora's throne was frozen, and so was everything else. He began to run through the domain, trying to find some sort of acknowledgement that there was still life around. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the Zora trapped inside the ice. Some of them looked scared, and like they were screaming. Link stepped back some, then turned and ran up to King Zora's Throne Room.

Link ran more and more as he climbed the steps to the Throne Room. Finally, he reached the top and he gasped. King Zora was there, frozen in ice. His face showed shock, as if he had seen something, and then frozen by what he saw. He quickly ran up to King Zora and began to hit the ice around him, but it was no good. Then, he got an idea.

Link rose his sword above his head, and the sword burst into flame. He brought the sword down, and swung it in a figure eight form. At the end, he flipped his sword over and struck the ground. "Flame Dragons!" he shouted. Four large dragons of fire rose from the ground and smashed into King Zora. The ice melted and King Zora looked around.

"Link?" he asked when he saw Link standing next to him. The attack had also melted some of the ice around them, but the water seemed to immediately turn into ice again. "Link, what are you doing here?"

"We felt something cold coming from her, so we figured we'd check it out."

"Well, you are sure brave. How did you manage to get past the beast?"

Link blinked a bit. "'The Beast?'" he asked. "What do you mean by…'the beast'?"

"The beast. You know, that white beast you had to fight to enter."

"There was no beast," Link said. "I guess it got frozen by whatever froze the rest of this."

"The beast is what froze everything!" King Zora shouted.

"Your majesty, what exactly is 'the beast'?"

"The beast is a dangerous white monster. Its very touch can turn things into ice. It travels through the air, almost like it's part of the air."

"I see…well…the beast wasn't around at all when I came in. Perhaps it left?"

"No, if the beast had left, then all would be fine."

"Not exactly, your majesty. Sometimes when a monster curses something, the curse isn't lifted just by the monster leaving."

"It isn't a curse!" King Zora shouted. "The beast froze everything, and as long as the beast is here, everything will remain frozen. Nothing can be unfrozen!"

"But I unfroze you."

"Oh, yes, good point." After a moment, King Zora spoke again. "Go to the Ice Cavern. Surely you will discover something there. Take this with you, it will aid you greatly." King Zora handed Link a blue tunic. "If you ever need to breath underwater, this will allow you to do just that."

"Thank you, King Zora," Link nodded and quickly put it on.

"The Ice Cavern is behind me. Just look around, one of the mountains will hold the cavern."

"Thank you, your majesty," Link said and bowed. He then ran off, heading to the Ice Cavern. Once he had gotten through the cavern behind King Zora, he realized he was now in the same place Lord Jabu Jabu was, only this time, Lord Jabu Jabu wasn't there. Instead the whole place had large icebergs that floated in the water. Link jumped from each one to another, finally reaching the Ice Cavern in one of the eastern mountains.

"This is it, Navi," Link said, walking into the cavern.

"It's cold in here!" Navi shouted. "I can't believe we're going in here!"

"Hey! You're under my hat, so you at least have something to keep you warm. This thin tunic doesn't help much!" Link walked in, looking around. He slowly walked through a large narrow tunnel until he reached a large, open area. In the open area, he found three large monsters; all of them were made of ice. Link stood there for a moment and drew his sword. The three beasts quickly moved forward and began to blow on Link. Their breath was an icy chill, and anything their breath touched turned to ice.

Link growled as he jumped back. He readied his sword, then, pointing his sword forward, he released a large beam of energy. The beam shot forward, struck one of the ice beasts, causing it to fall apart slightly. He fired another one, and the beast fell apart even more. One more shot, and the beast was completely gone. Link then thrust his sword behind him and let it power up. "KaiTenGiri!" he shouted, and swung his sword around in a circle. A beam from the blade spread all around, slicing the ice beasts in half. Another good couple of swings, and the beasts were gone. "What were those things, Navi?"

"They are called 'Freezard'," Navi responded. "They are deadly little beasts that will turn you into ice if you come in contact with them."

"Could that be the beast that King Zora was talking about?"

"Highly doubtful, as King Zora said it traveled through the air."

"Right," Link responded and nodded. "Well, then, we need to find that beast." Link walked forward, heading through the large open area, and into another long cavern. After walking through the long cavern some, there was a loud rumbling sound. When Link looked behind him, he found that the large rumbling sound was a huge boulder that was now rolling after him. "Oh shoot!" Link shouted, turned, and quickly began to run. "Bad day, bad day, bad day!"

Link continued to run, trying to get away from the boulder, but as he ran, the boulder began to get closer. "Not good!" Link shouted louder. He kept running, but soon found himself at an intersection. "Which way? Which way?" he thought, then took the left path. Unfortunately, the boulder followed him down the left path as well. "Not good!" he shouted. Then, he found himself at a dead end. "Even worse!" he shouted. "Navi, do something!"

"Do what!" Navi shouted. "Did you forget that I'm just a fairy! I can't do anything!"

Link looked around, the boulder was growing closer. "Wait!" he shouted. "I have an idea!" He quickly pulled out the Master Sword and looked at the boulder. He held his sword up, and it burst into flame. He swung it around in a figure eight form. At the end, he flipped the sword over and struck the ground. "Flame dragons!" he shouted, and four large dragons of fire rose from the ground and smashed into the boulder. The attack greatly reduced the boulder's size, but it didn't destroy it.

"Crap!" Link shouted. "Not good!" he closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact. Suddenly, he heard the boulder strike something, then it stopped. Link opened his eyes, and his eyes immediately widened. The boulder had stopped just in front of him. It had just barely missed him, and he was sure that if he hadn't decreased the boulder's size, he would have been crushed. He let out a sigh of relief and began climbing over the boulder and onto the ground on the other side.

"That was too close!" Navi shouted. She slapped Link. "Never do that to me again!"

Link growled. "Oh yeah, like I really wanted to do that!" Navi just looked away in a rather stubborn manner. "You are so stubborn!"

"Yeah? Well, without me, you'd be nothing!"

"I bet I could do better without you!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Fine, then you can just go fight that beast it alone, without my help!" Navi shouted.

"Fine!" Link shouted back. He walked off, leaving Navi where she was. She just watched him walk off, then began to fly behind him, carefully being sure not to be seen or heard. She wanted to see how far Link could get on his own, which she figured wouldn't be very far. Link continued through the passage until he got back to the intersection. This time, he walked off to the right instead, which in this case, was now the left path. He walked on and Navi followed him, keeping hidden.

The two of them soon found themselves entering another large, open area. Link looked around for a moment, then pulled out his sword. Navi blinked when she saw him pull out his sword. She waited right where she was, checking to see if she could get a good view of what was coming. Suddenly, Link whipped around and his sword came down, stopping just before it touched her. "Why are you following me?" he asked.

"I just wanted to see how far you could get without me," Navi responded.

"Well, I'm not going to get very far without you if you keep coming with me, now will I?" Navi just turned her head. Link quickly moved his sword, which resulted in some of Navi's hair getting cut off.

"Hey!" Navi shouted when she felt her hair get cut.

Link just laughed, turned, and walked off. Navi growled but let him walk off. "Shoot!" Link suddenly shouted and Navi flew closer to see what was going on. In front of Link were two large blade traps. The blade traps were swirling around in a circle, each of them were a full half circle apart. They were moving fast, though, and there was no way around them. He had to go through, but that would be a hard task.

Link quickly ran forward, and quickly jumped over one of the blade traps, landing on the opposite side with ease. "That was close," he said, and quickly began to run off. Navi quickly followed right behind him, still trying to stay hidden. Link followed the long path into a large room. It was filled with lights that seemed to shine all around it. The ground was the usual ice, but everything else was like lights shining.

"Wow!" Link spoke.

"This is amazing!" Navi spoke. Link glared at Navi, and she quickly shut up, remembering she wasn't even supposed to be around Link at the time. She had to act like she wasn't there. At this time, though, she wanted nothing more than to be able to hide under Link's hat and be warm. The room they were in was freezing cold. There wasn't a single bit of warmth around, and it had to have been the coldest room in the entire place.

The room was so cold, that something unnatural must have caused it. Then, Link remembered what King Zora had said about a beast that turned things to ice by touching them. It also traveled through the air, and this made Link very curious. He wanted to know what beast it was that he was about to fight.

Link pulled out his sword, ready to do battle with anything that threatened to attack him. Everything was strange in this room. In the center of the room, there was a large pink pedestal, almost like a large throne. The wind howled around it, and soon took form. It took the form of a large White Wolfos, which many call a Snow Wolfos.

"A Snow Wolfos!" Link shouted. "So, that's it, huh? You've been using your powers to freeze everything, and you've found a way to travel through the air as well." The Wolfos howled and ran at Link. Link quickly struck the Wolfos, but it was to no avail. The Wolfos' fur was as hard as steel, and he would have to wait until just the right moment.

Link stood there, his sword ready. He watched as the Snow Wolfos ran around him, then, ran up to him for an attack. Link quickly struck the Wolfos in the chest, and if immediately seemed to fall apart, turning into wind. The wind howled again, and this time a duplicate of Ghoma, but this time, she was white, like snow. "What the heck is that!" he shouted.

Link quickly pulled out his bow, and fired an arrow at Ghoma's eye. Ghoma quickly closed her eye before the arrow struck, and it caused it to bounce off. Ghoma's eye opened, but just in time to be met by another arrow. Ghoma roared when the arrow stuck into her eye, and she vanished, turning into wind.

"You are strong," a voice spoke. The voice sounded strangely familiar. "I was not expecting your strength and intelligence. I warn you, though, when we meet in a final fight, you will not be so lucky!" The voice faded, and two large glowing eyes appeared. It was the same eyes Link had seen seven years prior, back in the Kokiri Forest when he went through the Battle of Friends.

"Release your curse!" Link shouted.

"Curse? No curse! This land is owned by Morpha, the Giant Aquatic Ameoba of the Water Temple. Destroy him, and, if there is a curse on this land, it will be lifted." The eyes vanished, and Link growled.

"So, you have seen it, have you?" a voice asked from behind. Link quickly whipped around to see Shiek standing behind him. "You have met the Beast, I see."

"What was that thing?" Link asked.

"It is what we Shiekah call 'The Morpher.' It takes the form of any past enemies you have fought. It seeks out the stronger ones and changes into them. Sometimes, it'll form several of them together into one being. I would suggest being careful of this."

"So, what do you want, anyway?"

"I overheard what the Morpher said. I have a way that you can get into the Water Temple quickly." Shiek pulled out his harp. "Play this, and you will be teleported to the Water Temple." Shiek played something on his harp, and Link listened. He then played it on his ocarina, and the ocarina glowed. "Use it well. Also, take these. These boots will be of great aid to you." Shiek handed Link a pair of boots with large iron parts on the bottoms of them. "These are the Iron Boots. Wear them, and you will never float again."

"I have rescued the princess of the Zora's. She insisted on going to the Water Temple, though, so if I were you, I would go help her out." Shiek rose his hand, and in a flash, he was gone.

"Thank you, Shiek," Link said and smiled. He quickly made his way out of the cavern, Navi following close behind.

"Okay, I know I was wrong," Navi began, "you can easily take care of yourself without my help, but please, one quick thing. Let's be friend's, the Deku Tree did ask me to watch over you, and if I leave you, I'll have betrayed his trust."

"I understand," Link said.

"You do?" Navi asked.

"Yeah, you want to be able to sleep in my hat again, and you want to be able to boss me around again. Sounds good to me." Link smiled and they continued running until they got out of Zora's Domain. "All right, this should be far enough." Link played the ocarina, playing the song Shiek had taught him. In an instant, he and Navi were both taken up into the air, and transported to Lake Hylia, where the Water Temple rested. "This is it, the Water Temple. We can no longer rest. We must do this now." Link quickly ran forward, entering the dark temple.

The inside of the temple was dark, and it was hard to see much of anything at all. Link looked around, trying to see anything he could. He waited a moment for his eyes to adjust enough that he could see where he was going. He stepped forward, and almost instantly, the entire room lit up. "My eyes!" Link shouted. The sudden change of light was too much for his eyes to take. It had gotten too bright, too quickly for his eyes to adjust.

"Will you stop complaining?" Navi spoke. "You're eyes are fine. It's just a slight bit brighter in here then it was before. Just open your eyes and keep moving. Your eyes will adjust in time."

"Oh, sure, take all the fun out of it, why don't you?" Link sighed and began to walk forward. He could see much better now. He was now in the center of a large room. The room was deep and filled with water. The water ended just a little bit below the ground he was standing on. Link looked down, and looked around. "Looks like we're going swimming." Link quickly tossed on the Zora Tunic and dove into the water.

He swam as fast as he could down into the deep areas of the water temple. It went down three whole floors, and it looked extremely complex. Link looked around, then put on the Iron Boots he had gotten, that way his feet could touch the ground. He then continued to walk, looking around. Navi had a small bubble around her, which allowed her to follow Link, but still breath underwater. "Link, where are we going?" she asked.

"Anywhere that will help us get to the Master of this Temple." Link continued to walk forward, then, his eyes went wide when he reached the end of a temple. "No…way…" he spoke.

"Hello, Link, I've been waiting for you." In front of Link was the Zora Princess Ruto. She had aged seven years, and was now an adult. Her body had grown long and slender, instead of the short and somewhat fat body she had seven years before. Her arms had long fins on them, like before, only this time they seemed to move as she stood there.

"Ruto?" Link asked.

"Yes, it's me, Link. I am Princess Ruto. Seven years ago, you promised to marry me, and I haven't forgotten."

"What!" Link shouted. "Marry you!"

"Yes, on that day, seven years ago, when I gave you the Zora's Sapphire, you promised to marry me. I told you that Sapphire was the Zora Engagement Ring."

"Wait a moment, what is an engagement ring?" Link asked.

"It's a special ring, or object. It signifies that you have promised to marry that person one day. I gave you the Zora's Sapphire, and by doing so, and by you accepting it, you agreed to marry me."

"No way!" Link shouted. "I'm not marrying you!"

Ruto just looked at him. "Link, now is not the time to talk about marriage. Right now, we must defeat the lord of this temple. Follow me, I will show you the way." Link nodded. Ruto began to swim away, and Link followed close behind. Ruto swam up, and around, until she reached a place where the water ended. She quickly got out, then helped Link out. "Link, there is a special place here where you must play the Royal Family's song. Play it, and we can continue further."

Link nodded and looked around. He looked to find some sort of symbol the Royal Family may have used. Suddenly, he noticed a Triforce mark on the wall. There was no doubt, it had to be the spot. He walked over to it and touched it. It suddenly changed, and words appeared on it. "He who wishes to change the waters, play the song of the Royal Family." Link quickly pulled out his Ocarina and began to play a song on it. It was the same song he played for the Gorons when he found they needed proof that he had come from the Royal Family.

Almost instantly, there was a rumbling sound, and, as Link finished playing, the rumbling ended. The water level had just been severely lowered. Link looked around for a moment, then at Princess Ruto. "What just happened, Ruto?"

"The water was lowered. Now, come on, follow me." Ruto walked to where they had climbed in when there was water. She jumped down, slowly hopping from wall to wall, reaching the bottom floor rather quickly. Link followed close behind, doing the same thing. He only slipped once, which was enough to make him fall the rest of the way down. Luckily, Ruto was able to catch him, so he wasn't hurt. Unfortunately, since Ruto caught him, she couldn't keep herself from kissing Link.

Link quickly pushed himself away from Ruto, then looked at her. "Look, I know you love me, but let's stay focused on what we're doing here, okay?"

"Sorry…" Ruto turned and began to walk off. "Follow me," she said, and kept walking. Link followed her through the long passages of the Water Temple until they arrived at their location. "All right, Link, there is a place here to raise the water. Play your ocarina once more." Link nodded and looked around. Again, he saw a triforce mark on the wall and he touched it. The message appeared again, and he played the Royal Family's song.

Once again, there was rumbling. The water rose, and as Link finished playing the song, the water stopped rising, ending at his feet. "Good, now follow me, we face the lord." With that, Ruto jumped into the water and began to swim. Link followed close behind. They soon reached a ledge, and they climbed out of the water. They dried themselves off the best they could, then they walked to a large door nearby. "Link, after this, there is no turning back. Are you ready? Entering this door, means you must face yourself."

"Face myself?" Link asked.

"Yes," Ruto answered. "You see, the Great King of Evil, Genondorf, placed a beast within this room. The beast is a monster that transforms itself into anything that it touches. Also, as a guardian of the beast, he placed a small monster that can transform the water into whatever it wants. We, the Zora People, call the water morpher by a simple name. We call him 'Morpha' though your race, the race of humans, calls it the 'Giant Aquatic Ameoba.'"

"I am ready to face anything that Ganondorf has placed before me."

"Then enter the room." Link nodded and walked in. Ruto followed him inside, and upon their entrance, the door behind them shut tight. Link looked forward, looking around.

"I know you're here!" Link shouted. "Show yourself!" There was no response. Link stepped forward some, looking around. The room they were in was large. In the center of it were four small platforms that rose from a deep amount of water around them. There was a small platform around the water that Link and Ruto currently stood on. Link jumped onto one of the platforms and looked around. "Show yourself!" he shouted. "I know you're here, Morpha!"

"We are here," a whispery voice spoke. "We are the Masters of this dungeon. Who dares to enter our land?"

"I am Link, Hero of Time! I demand that you show yourself at once!" Inside the water, something began to move. It moved closer to Link, slowly traveling through the water. It reached the platform Link was on, and quickly went behind him. It then rose out of the water, looking at him. Link turned around, just in time to see it. There was a large tentacle of water sticking out of the water, and in the center was a small pink thing that spun around.

"We are here," the whispery voice spoke. Link felt the wind rush past him, then, darkness surrounded him. A piece of it touched him, then shot off to another one of the platforms. It took form, changing into an exact duplicate of Link, only he wore a black tunic, and he had silver hair. He also had dark skin and blood red eyes. "We are here!" the Link look-alike shouted. "I am Dark, the Master of this dungeon. This is my guardian, Morpha, the Giant Aquatic Ameoba."

The large tentacle moved some, then wrapped around Link's neck. It grabbed him and began swinging him around. It was crushing his neck, and he was losing all supply of air. He was about to pass out, when Morpha tossed him across the room. "Prepare for your doom!" Dark shouted and quickly jumped at Link. He held his hand up, and a large sword appeared in his hand. The sword was an exact duplicate of the Master Sword, only it was black instead of purple.

"I will not lose!" Link spoke slowly. He pulled out the Master Sword and his shield. He then rushed forward, swinging his sword. Dark quickly blocked the attack and smirked. Link quickly swung, then attempted a stab. Dark quickly did a front flip and landed on the tip of Link's sword. "What the-" Link barely had time to react before he felt Dark's foot come across his face, knocking him down.

Link quickly stood to his feet and growled. Morpha, then, wrapped itself around Link and began to swing him back and forth. Link flung his arms around as much as he could, trying to do something. After a moment, though, Morpha flung him away, and Link slammed into the ground nearby. Dark quickly ran over to him and smirked. "I will still win!" Link shouted. He stood to his feet and began to do battle with Dark. The sound of steel on steel echoed throughout the room.

Link fought hard, swinging left and right, trying to find some sort of way to get him. Dark just laughed. "Fool, I am as you are now. You cannot defeat me!"

"Oh, yeah? Then maybe I need to change what I am now." Link quickly did something that not even Dark expected. Link dropped his sword to the ground, then got down on his knees. He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. Dark laughed and rose his sword for the attack. "Fire," Link spoke, and his eyes opened. "Fire of Din, fire of power, let your power flow forth and consume all around!" he shouted. He opened his hands, and a small light shined between them.

Link stood to his feet and rose his hand above his head. He tossed the light to the ground, and it struck, creating a large circle of fire around Link. It shot out, and Dark roared as he was struck by the attack. The attack evaporated some of the water, and Link smirked. He quickly grabbed his sword, preparing a great attack.

Link rose his sword above his head, and it burst into flame. He swung it around in front of him, then flipped it over and slammed the blade into the ground. "Flame dragons!" he shouted. Six dragons of fire came up from the ground, then launched off at the water, striking it and evaporating it to nearly nothing left. Dark was shocked by this attack. He hadn't sent the dragons at him, like he had expected. This was strange. Dark just stood there, waiting to see what Link would conjure up next.

Link rose his sword above his head one more time, and it began to glow. He pointed the sword at Dark. "This ends it." He fired a beam of light at Dark, striking his arm and immediately destroying it. He fired another one at Dark's other arm, destroying it as well. Then, he aimed right at Dark's chest, and with one shot, Dark roared in pain, and exploded in a great explosion of light.

"This isn't over!" Dark shouted as the slight remains of him floated to the ceiling.

"Yes, it is," Link responded. He pointed his sword at Dark, and fired off one final blast, which completely destroyed him. Link then looked at Morpha, who was now nothing more then the small orb-like object that was inside the tentacles. It flopped around, trying to do something, but it could do nothing.

Link rose his sword one last time, and it glowed again, this time the glow was green. He brought the sword down to his side, then swung it forward. "Forest beam!" he shouted, and a large beam shot forward, striking Morpha. It flopped around a bit more, then, finally, it began to whither away until it was completely dead. Link turned to look at Ruto, and found himself encased in a strange crystal.

In a flash, he found himself in the Chamber of Sages, the crystal was now gone. Ruto appeared on the small pedestal that had the symbol of water on it. She looked up at Link and smiled. "Thank you, Link. You have allowed me to become a sage. For this, I grant you my undying love." Link was a little taken back by this. He wasn't sure what she was going to do now. Ruto giggled. "Silly, that's what I'd like to say, but I can't, because we live in two different worlds. You really need to stop being so careful."

Link let out a sigh of relief. "Here, take this. It isn't as good as my love for you, but it will help you anyway." Ruto handed Link a small medallion. "That is the Medallion of Water. Now, Link, you have awoken the four of us, but there are still two left. Go to Kakariko Village if you wish to awaken the next one." Link nodded. "Good-bye, Link, my love." Link was teleported down to the Temple of Time, like each time before.

"So, even after Volvagia's defeat, my men were not strong enough?" Ganondorf asked as he stood in his tower.

"No, my lord, they were not," a voice spoke.

"Well, then, I rely on you. I shall break the seal on the well, if you destroy Link."

"I will destroy him, my lord."

"Then the seal shall be broken. Go, my being of Shadow, engulf the world in darkness!" Ganondorf let out his evil laugh as he conjured up power in his hands. He slammed his fists together, and a shockwave was sent out to Kakariko Village, where it caused the whole village to shake. "Be free!" he shouted.


	10. The Drum Master of Shadow

**Chapter 10: The Drum Master of Shadow**

Link and Navi were now on their way to Kakariko Village. Princess Ruto had told them that the next sage lied in Kakariko Village. They quickly rushed off to the village, in a hope that they could deal with it. It took them an entire day, but they finally reached the village. Upon reaching it, Link let out a gasp. "Link!" Navi shouted. "Kakariko Village! I-it's…on fire!"

It was true, Kakariko Village had been set aflame. The buildings burned all around them, and there, in the center of the village, stood Shiek. He was standing by the well that was in the center of the village. He was looking down, as if watching something in the well. Link quickly ran over to him and touched him on the shoulder. "Link, stand back," Shiek spoke.

Suddenly, the large wooden posts around the well shot up into the air. Link pulled out his shield, and Shiek just stood there. Suddenly, Shiek was listed off the ground and spun around in mid-air. What was holding him, though, was unknown. There was nothing around, or so it looked, anyway. "Get away, Link!" Shiek shouted, then found himself tossed away. A dark shadow shot up from the well and began to move over the ground. It moved up onto the roof of a building, then down onto the ground. It turned to face Link, and he quickly pulled out his shield. The shadow shot forward, and Link screamed as he felt every bit of life, warmth, and magic sucked from his body.

An hour later, Link awoke, but just barely. "Navi?" he asked, looking around. His eyes were barely even open.

"Are you okay?" Shiek asked. He was leaning over Link's body.

"Yeah…I think so…" Link sat up and looked around, holding his head. "What hit me?"

"About an hour ago, you met with the Drum Master of Shadow. Seven years ago, Impa sealed a beast away inside that well. The beast was named Bongo Bongo. Some call him the Phantom Shadow Beast, but the prophecies and legends call him the Drum Master of Shadow." Link just blinked. "Impa left for the Shadow Temple. She hopes to seal the beast away somewhere once again. If she can't, then she hopes to destroy the beast. I'm worried about her."

"Don't worry, Shiek, I'll rescue Impa."

Shiek looked at Link and sighed. _If only you knew the truth,_ Shiek thought. He then looked at Link and smiled. "Go, Link, go to the Shadow Temple. You will find it in the graveyard. Just look for a large cavern that seems to lead into nothing but darkness. Let the fire of the Goddess Din light your way."

Link nodded. "I promise, I'll rescue Impa." Link then turned and ran off, heading to the Shadow Temple. He entered the dark graveyard, searching around. There was a way to get to the Shadow Temple somewhere around the graveyard, he just had to find it. "I must find that cave that Shiek talked about." It didn't take long, and Link soon found himself entering a dark cavern.

Link walked deeper into the cavern, and the cavern began to grow darker. Link held up his sword, letting it burst into flame, but it was barely enough to light up any of his surroundings. Link thought for a moment, then remembered what Shiek had said. "Fire of Din, fire of power, let your power flow forth and consume all around!" he shouted. He opened his hands, and a small light shined between them. He rose his hand above his head and tossed the light to the ground. When it struck, it created a large circle of fire around Link. The circle shot out, and soon, Link could see torches all around him. The attack struck those torches, and lit them, creating light so Link could see.

In front of Link was a large wall. It had a large eye carved into it, which seemed to stare at him. Link stepped back and he looked around. The cavern was extremely tall, and he wondered how it was possible for a place like this to exist. The wall was high, and, as the last torch lit, he felt the ground begin to shake. In front of him, the wall with the eye began to rise up, creating a large pathway into the temple. It was unlike anything Link had ever seen before. It was amazing, and Link walked forward, venturing into the unknown.

Link journeyed forward, entering the dark temple. He looked around, slowly walking onward. "This place is dark and creepy!" Navi shouted. "I want to go home!"

"Hush!" Link shouted. He looked forward and burst his sword into flame once more. He continued to walk forward, looking around. He took another step and he blinked as he realized there was no ground under him. Link began to fall forward, and he screamed as he fell through the fake floor. He slammed down on something hard and he gave a groan as he sat up. "Ow! That hurt…"

"Link…where are we?" Navi asked. Link looked around. The whole room was filled with mist. Below him was wood that seemed to be made into something. Below the wood, however, he saw what looked like endless blackness. He looked forward, seeing the wood go forward and form a large shape in front of him. Upon closer inspection, Link realized he was on a boat.

"Navi…could this be…" Link paused as he looked around. "It can't be…but it is…"

"What is it!" Navi shouted.

"The Ferry to the Spirit Realm. It is said that when someone dies, they ride on this fairy so that they can go rest in eternity…Did we…die?"

"No…you fell, and I followed, neither of us died."

"Then…that means…" Link paused and his eyes widened. "We fell through a bridge in dimensions!" Suddenly, the boat began to move through the mist. Link jumped when the boat moved suddenly. It began moving forward, and Link just looked forward. This was the Shadow Temple, the temple famous for its ghost-like monsters and traps. "I don't like this…it's too peaceful…"

"Link!" Navi shouted. "Don't say that!"

"Why?" Link asked.

"Every time someone says they don't like something because it's too quiet, or it's too peaceful, something always jumps out at them." Suddenly, two Stalfos fell from above, landing onto the boat. Their eyes glowed for a moment and they laughed. "See? Look at what you've done!"

"Welcome, Hero of Time," one of the Stalfos said.

"We are here to make sure that, when you enter the Spirit Realm, you will be nothing more then a spirit," the second Stalfos spoke. "None may enter the Spirit Realm unless they are dead."

"We'll just see about that," Link said, smirking. He rose his sword and it glowed. He brought it down, striking one of the Stalfos. It roared, and soon its bones exploded, leaving the skull to fall to the ground. With a quick stomp on the skull, Link destroyed the first Stalfos. "You sure you want to fight?" Link asked the second.

"You will die!" the Stalfos shouted and ran forward. Link smirked and, when the Stalfos was about to strike, he simply moved out of the way. This caused the Stalfos attack to miss, and for him to fall forward, which meant he fell right off the boat. "No!" he shouted as he fell into the infinite nothingness below.

The boat continued to sail through the mist, until finally, the boat began to slow down. Land was to Link's left, and he smiled. The boat came to a full stop, then, the boat began to shake. "Link! The boat's sinking!" Navi shouted. Link quickly jumped off the boat and onto the land, just in time to watch as the boat sunk behind him into the mist.

"Well…we're here…now what?" Link asked.

"I don't know…" Navi responded. They were on a small patch of land. There was mist surrounding them, and they could see another patch of land far off. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no way to cross to it.

Link sighed. "This is just nice…we can't go on from here, but we can't go back, either…"

"Heads up!" a voice shouted. Link looked up and quickly jumped to his right as a large dragonhead came crashing down into the ground. The dragonhead was attached to a long pole, which lead to the other side.

"Who's there!" Link shouted.

"A friend," the voice spoke. Link just blinked for a moment. He then ran across the pole the dragonhead was on. He reached the other side and looked around, but there was no one around. Link then noticed a strange door in front of him. He gulped, walked forward, and opened the door, looking to see what was inside.

There, inside the door, was a large hand. It was floating in mid-air, doing nothing. It wasn't even attached to anything from what Link could see. He walked closer, stopping when he reached the edge of the small patch of land he was on. The hand just seemed to float there on absolutely nothing.

Then, the hand moved some, moving around what seemed to be an invisible platform. Link quickly stepped back, then ran forward, closing his eyes. He landed hard on the invisible platform in front of him. The hand immediately gave out a screech and jumped to another invisible platform. Link followed willingly.

Soon, the hand led Link all the way to a massive door that just seemed to float in mid-air. The hand jumped onto an invisible platform right in front of the door. Link followed, and the hand jumped again, only to land on nothing, which caused it to fall into the infinite blackness below. Link looked forward at the massive door and walked closer.

"Link, be careful," Navi spoke.

"I'm being careful, don't worry," Link said. He grew closer to the door and gulped. He touched the door and it immediately opened, revealing a large platform. Link stepped through the door and looked around. The room was black, so he couldn't see anything. He walked forward some, only to find himself falling down a large hole. He slammed down onto the ground below, only to bounce lightly, and not get injured.

"What is this place?" Navi asked as she followed quickly.

"I don't know," Link responded. "It's dark, and I can't see anything at all…"

"Welcome to my lair, Hero of Time," a voice spoke. The voice was deep, yet machine like. "I had hoped that we would be able to fight one another. It seems my wish came true after all."

"Who are you!" Link shouted.

"I am the Drum Master of Shadow, the Phantom Shadow Beast, Bongo Bongo!" Suddenly, a large, slender, and muscular body appeared. It seemed to hang from the ceiling, and the only part of him that was visible was from the waist up. It's body led up to an eye that was its entire head. There were several small pieces around the eye that folded forward to cover the eye. Two large hands floated in mid-air. They weren't attached to the beast at all, yet the way they moved seemed to suggest that they were.

"Bongo Bongo, your time is up! You will fall here and now!"

"I think not!" Bongo Bongo shouted. Suddenly, his entire body vanished, and only his two disembodied hands floated there.

Link growled. "Navi!" he shouted.

"I'm on it!" Navi shouted. She quickly began to examine the two hands for any weaknesses. The hands floated there for a moment, not doing anything, then, they laid flat on the ground and began to hit the ground like a drum. The ground bounced up and down, and it was clear to Link that he was on a large drum of some sort. "I don't see any weaknesses!" Navi shouted.

"Then we'll have to do this the hard way." Link pulled his sword back and it glowed. "KaiTenGiri!" He quickly swung his sword forward and around in a circle. It shot out a large beam that swirled around him, striking the hands. They reacted harshly to the attack by flailing around everywhere. Link smirked. "That'll take care of them." Suddenly, Link felt himself get struck by, what seemed to be, nothing at all.

"Link!"

"I'm okay, Navi, don't worry." Suddenly, one of the hands came down and picked him up. He could feel his body being crushed by the power of Bongo Bongo's hand. "Let…me…go!" Bongo Bongo just laughed. "Final Flame!" Link shouted. His sword glowed, and a fireball shot out of it. The fireball then moved quickly towards Bongo Bongo's hand and struck it hard. Bongo Bongo screeched at the pain he felt in his hand, and he quickly let go.

"So, that's it, is it?" Link smirked. "Take this!" he shouted. He pointed his sword forward, right between the two hands. A beam shot forward from his sword, and Bongo Bongo hit it with the hand that wasn't in extreme pain. This only caused Bongo Bongo to feel extreme pain when he did that. Another beam shot forward, and it hit, what seemed to be, nothing at all, but Bongo Bongo screeched loudly from the hit.

"How dare you!" Bongo Bongo shouted. One of his hands rose and Link smirked. As the hand came down, Link pointed his sword straight up. Bongo Bongo screeched as he felt the sword go in one side of his hand and out the other. He rose his hand, and he noticed the sword was stuck in his hand. Link smirked again, and he opened his hand. The Master Sword flew forward, right through Bongo Bongo's hand and returned to Link's awaiting hand, which cause Bongo Bongo to screech loudly at the pain in his hand. "I will destroy you!" Bongo Bongo shouted.

"Just try it," Link said, staring at him with a serious face. Link pointed his sword forward. "This is for all the things you have done!" He slammed his sword into the ground and closed his eyes. "Fire of Din, fire of power, let your power flow forth and consume all around!" he shouted. He opened his hands, and a small light shined between them. He rose his hand above his head and tossed the light to the ground. When it struck, it created a large circle of fire around Link. It shot out and Link opened his eyes. Bongo Bongo screeched as the flame struck both of his hands, and him.

"This…this is impossible…I cannot be beaten by a meer child like you!"

"You just did." Link pulled his sword from the ground, and Bongo Bongo's eyes appeared. Bongo Bongo began looking around frantically. Link ran forward and struck his sword into Bongo Bongo's eye. His eye widened, and the two stood there for a moment, neither of them moving.

After a moment, Bongo Bongo let out a screech and moved his eye up. The sword stayed securely in his eye, and he began flailing around. His body began to burn up as he screeched, and his hands collapsed to the ground, turning into nothing but shadow. He stopped flailing around, and the rest of his body burned away, turning into shadow. The Master Sword landed into the ground before Link, who walked over and picked it up.

Suddenly, Link felt himself lifted again. He floated upward in a blazing light. Once again, he found himself in the Chamber of Sages. He looked forward, and Impa appeared in front of him. "Link, you have done well," Impa spoke. "I never imagined that you would have grown so powerful in such a short amount of time. You truly are the Hero of Time."

Link smiled. "Thank you, Impa, but I wouldn't have gotten nearly as far if it hadn't been for the sages and my friends."

Impa nodded. "Friendship is a powerful thing. I don't think anything is stronger then friendship and true love. With those two things, one can hold infinite power." Link nodded. "Look around you, Link. Almost all the sages have awoken." Link looked around, and realized what Impa had said. Rauru was standing on the pedestal of light, Saria was standing on the pedestal of forest, Darunia was standing on the pedestal of fire, Ruto was standing on the pedestal of water, and Impa was standing on the pedestal of shadow.

"Impa, the team is almost complete." Link looked to the final pedestal. "Where is that last temple? I must find the temple and awaken the sage."

"The Desert Colossus holds the key. The final sage lies within the Spirit Temple. Find her, awaken her, then, together, the Hero of Time, along with the power of the Sages, will enter Ganondorf's Castle, and end this once and for all."

Link nodded. "Right."

"Link, take this as a gift. This gift will aid you greatly." Impa rose her hand and a small medallion appeared in her hand. She handed the medallion to Link and he smiled. "Now, Link, go, awaken the final sage, and let us defeat Ganondorf together."

Link nodded. "Thank you, everyone. I will not fail you. I will awaken the last sage." With that, Link was teleported to Hyrule Plain once more.

Meanwhile, in Ganondorf's castle. "So, Bongo Bongo failed?" Ganondorf asked.

"Yes, sir," a female voice spoke. "Do not worry, though, we, the Twin Sisters of Spirit, will not fail you. No one can harm us, not even the Hero of Time."

"You better be right, because if you aren't, I will crush your skulls with my bare hands."

The female voice gulped. "Y-yes…your evilness…" The voice faded.


	11. The Twin Sisters of Spirit

**Chapter 11: The Twin Sisters of Spirit**

"Link, I think you've trained enough," Navi spoke. Link was, once again, training for the challenge ahead. He was going to enter into the Desert of Illusions in a hope to awaken the last sage, the Spirit Sage.

"No, Navi," Link spoke, "I haven't trained until I'm a match for Ganondorf. After I awaken the next sage, I won't be able to train anymore. Once the sage is awakened, it's straight onto Ganondorf's castle."

Navi sighed. "Fine…you know what, though? You at least need a break. Head to the desert. There is a town there just before the Desert of Illusions. You can rest there, then you can train in the desert. If you really want to become a match for Ganondorf, you'll need training in all sorts of situations."

Link nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." Link walked forward. "We'll have to get some desert clothes."

"You can pick those up at the town. Let's go!" Link nodded. Link ran forward, heading in the direction of the desert. He hadn't walked very long when he stopped, looking forward. "Link! Is…that…"

"Talon!" Link shouted. He ran forward. "Talon, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at the ranch?"

Talon looked up. He still looked like he did seven years before. "Link, I'm glad to see you…Ingo took over my ranch. He used Ganondorf's power to help him take it over…Now he's captured my daughter and he's going to sacrifice my daughter to Ganondorf, and also give her horse to him."

"That's horrible!" Link shouted. "I'll help you!" He looked at Navi. "Let's do this, Navi."

"Right," Navi spoke, nodding. The two ran forward. They had to get to Lon Lon Ranch before anyone got hurt.

Meanwhile, at Lon Lon Ranch. Ingo stood in the stables, whipping the horses. Ingo was a tall man. He didn't look very muscular, but he sure seemed like he worked a lot. He had fancy clothes on and a whip in his hand. His hair was a dark brown, while his eyes were dark blue. He also had a huge moustache that came off his face and off into the air a little ways. "This is what happens to those who don't listen to Ingo!" he shouted. He whipped the horses more. Malon was tied up nearby. Ingo hadn't changed at all, but Malon had. Malon was taller, but she still had the same red hair she had before. She also wore a dress that had an apron on the bottom half of it.

"Ingo!" Malon shouted. "Don't abuse the horses! Please, I beg you!"

"Malon, you are no longer the daughter of the ranch master, or anything for that matter. So, by order, behave!"

"So, why do you have me tied up?"

"For bait, young lady. For bait."

"Bait?"

"Yes, I am planning to use you for bait to lure that fool Link here. When he gets here, I'll send my army of horses at him. He'll die, and I will be praised by the Great Ganondorf!" Ingo began to laugh.

After a moment, Link finally made it to the Ranch. "We're here, Navi," he spoke. "This is it. We go forward into the ranch and face whatever lies within."

"Right," Navi responded. Link stepped forward into the Ranch. He looked around for a moment, not seeing much of anything.

"This place is quiet…perhaps a little too quiet…" Link spoke. It was dead silent all around them. Not a sound could be heard. There was no sound of a horse neighing, no birds chirping, no sound at all, except the sound of Link's breathing, and the slight noise produced from Navi's wings as she flew next to him.

"I agree…" Navi looked around. "It's way too quiet." Link began to walk forward. "Doesn't look like much has changed, though…except for the quietness of it all…"

"Hush, Navi." Link continued to walk forward, until he found a way to look into the stable. He looked in, seeing Malon on the ground next to the hay. Her hands were tied together, then rope tied around her chest, tying her arms close together. "Malon!" he shouted.

"Link! The enemy could be anywhere! Let's try to hide and move in closer."

Link nodded. "Right, Navi." Link then began to climb up the stable wall and onto the roof.

Meanwhile, inside the stable, Malon just sat on her knees, sighing. "I can't believe this. How unfortunate a girl I am." Malon looked down, closing her eyes. "Ever since my mom died when I was little, everyday I'd be pouring sweat to help dad by working. Now I'm stuck her captured." Malon opened her eyes and looked up. "However, a prince, riding on a white horse, will come to help poor lil' ol' me. Surely, someday-" her sentence was cut off when she heard a large crash behind her. She turned around, seeing a large hole in the roof.

"Ow…" a voice spoke from under the hay. Slowly the hay began to rise until a form appeared from it. Link and Navi soon popped up from under the hay, Link rubbing his head some. "Hey, you okay, Malon?"

Malon gave him a confused look. "And…who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Link."

"Link?" Malon blinked. "I don't remember," she said, turning her head, closing her eyes. Link fell back in an instant, twitching some. After a moment, he recovered, quickly getting up.

"It's me, Link! You know, the boy you met seven years ago that you taught Epona's Song! The fairy boy!"

Malon thought for a moment. "Oh! It's you, Fairy Boy! Whatcha doin' here?"

"I've come to rescue you." Link pulled out his sword and quickly sliced the ropes that were around Malon. "Let's go."

"Hmph, always acting so big and tough," Navi muttered.

Malon just stared at Link for a moment, then smirked. "Sorry, Fairy Boy, but I'm waiting for my prince to save me, not you."

Link fell back in an instant once again, twitching again. Malon just blinked at him. After a moment, he quickly recovered, standing to his feet in an instant. "Come on! We have to go! If we're found-" Link sentence was cut off right there when a sword came swinging down at him, barely missing him. Link turned around, only to be eye to eye with Ingo and five Gerudo girls.

"Who are they?" Malon asked, hiding behind Link.

"They are of the Gerudo tribe. They are Ganondorf's underlings."

Ingo began to laugh. "You've completely fallen into my trap, boy!" Ingo spoke. "I'll teach you what happens to those who oppose the great Ganondorf."

Link blinked a bit. "If you're so sure about that, then come get me!"

"Get him!" Ingo shouted. Link grinned and his sword began to glow. He swung it forward, striking the wood of a staff. The wood began to sizzle, then started to smoke. Finally, it caught fire, and the Gerudo quickly dropped her weapon onto the ground. Link quickly gave a kick to the Gerudo, sending her off a ways. Another Gerudo ran at him, and Link quickly blocked the attack with his shield.

"Is that the best you can do? Honestly!" Link quickly spun around, which knocked the Gerudo's weapon out of her hand. He then smacked her with his shield, knocking her back. Ingo growled and two more Gerudo's ran at Link. Link smirked. He held his sword behind him and it began to glow bright. He then swung it forward and around as he shouted. "KaiTenGiri!" A large beam of light shot around him, acting as an aid to his weapon. It knocked the weapons from the hands of the Gerudos, then knocked them back.

_Could it be…_ Malon thought, _could he be…my prince?_ Link quickly sheathed his weapon and smirked. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small item, which immediately grew to its proper size. The item was a cylindrical item. The tip of it was pointed, and the whole thing was made of metal. On the back end, it had a small handle with a small red button. In the middle the device split into two, a small chain was in the center of it. He pointed it up, and pushed the button, making the pointed tip fire up , then catch on the ceiling above. He then grabbed Malon around the waist, and pushed the button again, causing them to rise from the ground into the air.

"Get back here!" Ingo shouted. "Don't let them escape! After them!" After a few moments, Link and Malon found themselves on the roof of one of the buildings. Link looked down for a moment, then put the object he had taken out back into his pouch.

"That's a pretty handy device, there," Malon spoke.

"Thanks, I got it from Kakariko Village a while back," Link spoke. "It's called a hookshot. So, why is Ingo ordering around the Gerudos?"

"I don't know. He just suddenly became a different person. He hijacked the ranch, and then drove my dad out. Right now he's missing." Malon looked down. "Of course, it's his fault for not working," she muttered.

"Huh…that's strange…"

Malon looked back up at Link. "Ingo may have complained a lot, but he was a good worker. He used to adore the cows and horses, but then he started to treat them horribly."

"Ingo has been brainwashed by Twinrova," a voice spoke from behind them. They quickly turned around, Link putting his arm in front of Malon.

"Sheik? What are you doing here?" Link asked.

"Twinrova?" Malon asked.

"The reason I am here is not important. Twinrova are elderly twin witches. They brought up Ganondorf. Their specialty is brainwashing. If you ask me, it's a rather wicked sort of hobby."

"How do you undo it?" Link asked. "How do you know all this? Why are you telling me? What are you?"

"I hear various things as I travel. I am simply a minstrel." Sheik began to play his harm as he closed his eyes and looked down. The song that came from the harp was a song of sadness and despair. It made anyone who heard it feel sad.

"Such a sad melody…" Malon spoke as she listened to it.

"You'd best head to the Desert of Illusions. I heard rumor that Zelda was spotted around there. Perhaps she can help you once you find her."

"Zelda's gone into the Desert of Illusions!" Link shouted.

"The key that is manipulating Ingo is the gem in his ear." Sheik walked to the edge of the building and jumped.

"Sheik, wait!" Link shouted. He ran to the edge of the building and looked around. Sheik had completely disappeared from site. He had just begun to look down when a Gerudo suddenly jumped up at him, sword aimed right at his face. He quickly stepped back, just barely avoiding getting hit by the sword. Link quickly ran over and grabbed Malon, jumping from the roof and into the middle of a large group of Gerudos. He quickly began battle, trying to fight off the Gerudos.

"Hey, why did you shout the princess's name like that?" Malon spoke up. "What relationship do you and her have?"

Link struck the sword of a Gerudo. "This really isn't the time to talk about that."

Malon sighed. _I understand…looking in his eyes…he's not only worried about her…he's in love with her…so short my love was…I guess it can't be helped._ Malon quickly kicked her foot over to a pitchfork, kicking it up and making the pitchfork land in her hand. She then struck a couple of the Gerudos with it.

"Wow, that was cool!" Link shouted as he went back to back with Malon.

"I trained working here at the ranch. It comes in pretty handy, don't it?"

"Ha!" Ingo shouted and quickly fired a crossbow bolt at Malon. It struck the pitchfork and knocked it out of her hand. "Don't move! Now you will die!" Link quickly took Malon into his arms, then pulled out his hookshot, firing it at Ingo. It knocked him in the head, and the gem in his ear fell, landing on the ground and smashing. Ingo collapsed to the ground, knocked out.

"Ingo!" Malon shouted, running over to him. She picked him up, and Link looked around.

"KaiTenGiri!" Link shouted, spinning around, a beam spinning from his sword, knocking out all the Gerudo around him. "Epona!" he shouted and his horse quickly ran to him. "Let's get out of here!" He quickly grabbed Malon by the hand.

"We must take Ingo!" Malon insisted.

"Then get him and hurry!" Malon nodded and ran to Ingo. She placed him on Epona, then got on in front of him. Ingo had awoken mostly by now. Malon wrapped her arms around Link's waist, and Link gave the order for Epona to ride forward. Epona rushed forward, and the gate in front of them began to close.

"The gate!" Malon screeched. "We'll never make it in time!" The gate closed completely, but Link kept Epona riding forward. "Stop! You'll hit it!" Link pulled on Epona at the last moment, and Epona jumped, making it all the way over the gate, and onto the other side. A few days passed, and the Gerudo tribe and finally retreated, leaving the ranch in its peaceful state once more, not to mention Talon returned.

"Link, promise me you'll take good care of Epona," Malon spoke as they stood at the entrance of the Ranch, sunset was behind them.

"I will, Malon," Link responded. Malon smiled and gave Epona and Link a light kiss.

"Take care, you two."

Link smiled and hopped onto Epona. "I'll return one day."

"I hope so." The two stared at each other for a moment, then Link turned and rode off. _Please, come back safely._

"So, do you think what Sheik said was true?" Link asked Navi.

"I think so…"

"Why?"

"I don't know…I guess it's just the way he talks, and listening to his harp. It gives you a feeling of truthfulness in what he says. Besides, we have to go there anyway, right?"

"Yeah, that's true." Link smiled. "Let's go!" Link rode off towards the Desert of Illusions. It took several long days, but Link had soon come upon a city that lied just before the Desert of Illusions. He rode into the town, getting off Epona and walking through the streets, holding the reigns which held Epona.

"So, you seek something, yes?" a voice spoke, and Link turned around. In front of him were two witches, covered in black robes. They had a crystal ball in front of them.

"How do you know that?" Link asked.

"Our fortune telling never lies. Go forward to the Temple of Spirit, where you will find what you seek."

"Thank you, I'll take a look." Link turned and walked on, heading into the Desert of Illusions. He first noticed that the desert stretched further then the eye could see, and he knew it might be hard to cross the desert alone, but he had to. He continued to cross, the further in he got, the more desert he saw, and the less of the city behind him he saw.

Link continued to walk through the desert. The hot sun was beaming down on him, and he had no shade around him. He continued on, hoping that he'd find the Temple soon, but he didn't know. "Link, how much further?" Navi asked. She was beginning to feel scared.

"I don't know, but it can't be too much further." At that moment, the sand shot up before him, and he saw, what looked like, the Deku Tree in front of him. "G-Great Deku Tree?"

"Link!" The tree spoke. "Link, how could you let me die?" The sand slowly began to fall, as if the tree was decaying. "Link, you failed me. You let me die. How could you let me die?"

"No, this can't be…You knew you were going to die!"

"Link!" The tree vanished into the sand, and suddenly a fierce storm began to pick up. The sand struck Link fiercely, and he growled.

"I can't take this…" Navi spoke. "There's too much sand!"

Link swore under his breath. "At this rate there won't be any hope for us…we'll be buried alive…" The sand picked up more, and it pushed Link to the ground. The sand began to pile on him, and he tried to fight it and keep moving, but he couldn't move. The sand was beating on him harder, and a large cloud of sand was moving towards him. He felt the cloud strike him, burring him in the sand, only his hand sticking out.

It seemed like forever before someone came and pulled his hand from the sand, pulling him straight out and into a stormless desert once again. "Are you okay, Hero?" a voice asked. Link looked up at the one who had pulled him out, noticing it was Sheik.

"Yeah…I'm okay…that storm came out of nowhere."

"The storm was created by the Twin Witch Sisters who call themselves Twinrova." Sheik looked up into the sky and sighed. "They are trying to stop you. They know you will soon awaken the last sage. Already Ganondorf has sent his army into the temple in a hope to destroy the sage before she is awakened."

"Who is the sage?" Link asked.

"You will find out, soon enough." Sheik sighed. "It seems you are as reckless as always, since I had to save your life."

Link scratched the back of his neck. "Heh…yeah…"

"This is the Desert of Illusions, Link. You must be careful. You never know what may appear."

"How is it that you are always saving me?" Link suddenly asked. Sheik turned to look at him. "I mean…whenever I'm in trouble, you always seem to be there to get me out of it."

"Who knows? Perhaps it is the fact we always seem to be going the same way. Perhaps we have the same destination."

"The same destination, huh?"

"So, shall I guide you through the Desert of Illusions, or do you just want to sit here the rest of your life?"

Link nodded. "It would be greatly appreciated if you could show me the way."

"Very well, then." Sheik turned and began to walk. Link began to follow behind, Navi now sitting on his shoulder. They walked for what seemed like hours in silence. Finally, Link spoke, breaking the silence. "Hey, why do you always hide your face?" Sheik gave no response. "Perhaps…what is the eye symbol on your outfit mean? Is it a symbol of the Sheikah Tribe?"

"Before this, it was only an eye. You see, the Sheikah are used as 'Shadow Warriors' you could say. However, one day, there was an instance of betrayal from the Royal Family. At that time, our tears were added as a single line to this seal."

"Tragic…" Link looked down. After a moment, he looked back up. "Do you still hold a grudge?"

"It is a story from long ago…it does not involve me, therefore, I have nothing to hold against anyone."

"I see…You know…I was brought up my whole life thinking I was a kokiri, then told that I am actually a Hylian…After that, I was told that I'm the hero who will save all of Hyrule…Now I'm fighting with the Gerudo tribe…" Link sighed. "It's not that I'm complaining, it's just…everyone had those seven years except me…For me, parting with my friends, with Zelda, was but a short time ago. For them, though, it was seven years ago…Saria hasn't aged, though…and I have…" Link sighed again. "I don't know what to do…I can't be with Saria, anymore, and I can't chase Zelda…for all I know she could be somewhere far away…to tell you the truth, I'm kind of nervous about meeting her."

"I wish I could bury these past seven years…" Sheik spoke.

"Who are you saying that?"

"Don't worry about it. After all, being the Hero is hard enough, is it not?"

"Not really," Link said, smiling a little. They continued walking until night came, where they made camp. The night was pretty uneventful, until morning grew closer.

"Link!" a voice spoke and Link stirred. "Link, wake up!" Link opened his eyes and he quickly sat up at the sight of who was in front of him.

"Saria?" Link stood to his feet and walked over to her. Saria's eyes glowed, and she gave a deep, evil laugh. Her form faded into sand, and Stalfos appeared all around him. "What the heck?" Link pulled out his sword, Sheik awoke slightly, looking at Link. In his eyes, Link was battling nothing, yet in Link's eyes, there was an army of Stalfos around them. "Sheik! Watch out! There are monsters everywhere!"

Sheik stood to his feet, standing right inside of one of the monsters. "What are you doing?" At that moment, the army faded, and Link looked all around.

"There were monsters everywhere!" Link insisted.

Sheik sighed. "This is the Desert of Illusions. Travelers here are deluded by these mirages."

"Mirages? Then that means…these are only images from my pas and my heart." It was then that Volvagia's head rose from the sand, and Link's eyes widened.

"Why, Link?" Volvagia spoke. "Why did you have to do this to me? It hurts, Link! It hurts!" The image began to cry sand, and Link just held himself up.

"Begone!" Link shouted. "Begone, damn you!" Link growled, and the vision vanished. He growled a bit more. "Such dirty tricks."

"Are you all right?"

Link blinked. "Sheik, you're fine?"

"I see nothing. This is nothing but a desert."

Sheik has no illusions? Does that mean inside his heart, he has no past? Buy why? How? After all he said about the Sheikah Tribe history, how can he not have a past?

"Finally, it's dawn!" Navi spoke.

"Yes, it is, and it's beautiful." After a moment, Link's eyes went wide. "Is that…?"

"Yes, it seems to be real, since I can see it to."

"It's the gerudo tribe!" Link shouted, grabbing his sword. He was soon surrounded by gerudo woman on horses. "Sheik-" he went to speak, but as he turned to look at Sheik, he found himself struck in the back of his head by Sheik. He awoke an hour later inside of a cell made of stone. He had chains on his arms, which he quickly pulled at, loosening them enough so he could get out of them quickly. He continued to lay there, though, his eyes closed.

"Wake up!" a voice shouted as his eyes slowly opened. "Wake up!" He felt himself being kicked, and his eyes opened more. There, in front of him, stood a woman. She had red hair that was tied up above her head, and it gently flowed down into a ponytail. She had a pair of red, baggy pants on, and a white and brown tube top. She had a jewel on her head, and a jewel on her chest, along with red gloves on her arms. She also wore red boots, and her skin was dark like all the other Gerudos. She grabbed him and picked him up, smiling. "Tomorrow we will have some fun. My army is scheduled to have target practice tomorrow. We'll use you as our target." She smiled and tossed Link to the ground.

Link smiled. He quickly grabbed his chains and pulled them off in an instant. He quickly jumped forward, passing right by the girl before she could react. "Sorry, but I got out of those chains a while ago." He smiled. The girl growled.

"You shall die now, then." The girl pulled out two massive, curved swords. She ran at Link, and he quickly ducked as she swung at him. Link quickly rolled forward, moving out of her way. He then picked up the sword next to him, turned around and brought the sword up just in time to block an attack by her. He gave her a kick, and she was knocked back, allowing Link to stand to his feet.

"Link!" Navi shouted. "Quickly take out that jewel on her forehead! It's like Ingo! The jewel is controlling her." The girl quickly swung her sword at Link, and he jumped into the air. He brought his sword down, striking the jewel. It cracked and shattered, magical energy being released out of it and into Link's sword. She collapsed to the ground, and Link looked at her.

"Do you know who that was?" Link asked.

"My guess is she is Ganondorf's second-in-command, Nabooru."

"I see…so how did you know about the gem?"

"It was like Ingo. She had pale eyes, so it was obvious she was under some sort of control. Once I saw the gem, I figured that must have been it."

"Well, that does make sense…so now what?" Navi handed Link his hookshot and he smiled. "Perfect, now all I have to do is get my actual sword back." He pointed the hookshot upward, and fired it off. It connected to a piece of wood above him and pulled him towards it. He found, once he was up there, that he was now on a large platform overlooking a large fortress below. "The Gerudo Fortress no doubt…" Link spoke.

"And look!" Navi spoke, pointing all around. All the guards were female.

"All the guards are women? Is it because the Gerudo race is only women? No, because there's Ganondorf, and he's a Gerudo, too…"

"Get him!" a gerudo shouted, and Link looked down.

"Crap, I've been spotted!" He quickly jumped down, gripping the sword he had taken. "Where is the Master Sword?" He asked, ready to battle the Gerudos that now surrounded him. Suddenly, two of them moved, and Sheik walked forward, the Master Sword in one hand, and Link's shield in the other. Sheik tossed the sword to the ground, and Link stared down at it. "I guess this means we fight…" Link picked up the sword, pulling it from its sheath. Sheik tossed him his shield, and he took it into hand.

Link readied himself for battle, and Sheik just stared at him. He pull out his sword, and quickly swung around, striking one of the Gerudo in the neck, taking her out. "Traitor!" one of the Gerudos shouted immediately. In a moment's time, they were on them like a pack of wolves. Sheik and Link began to fight hard, neither wanting to lose. It was a battle that lasted for what seemed like hours.

"Stop!" a voice suddenly shouted. Everyone turned, seeing Nabooru standing near them. The Gerudos quickly stood at attention, and Link and Sheik stood there, waiting to see what was going on. "I do not know what has been going on these past several days, but just because I was not fully aware of what I was doing, that does not mean I am no longer leader."

Nabooru walked forward, looking Link in the eyes. "Who are you?"

"I am Link, the Hero of Time."

"Hero of Time, you say? Well, then, if you are, then you must have the Master Sword and the Mirror Shield." Link didn't say a thing. He had the Master Sword, but he didn't know anything about a Mirror Shield. "Well, show me the sword and the shield." Link held up the Master Sword and Nabooru nodded. "Well, you certainly have the Master Sword. However, it seems you do not have the Mirror Shield."

"No, I don't. I have not yet found the shield. I wasn't even aware I needed it until now."

"Nabooru!" an elderly voice yelled. Immediately, two witches came flying in on broomsticks. They were elderly witches, both having large noses and warts all over their bodies. They wore long black dresses that covered their entire bodies, and the arms of the dresses were open wide. They each had a gem on their foreheads, one was red, and the other was blue. Link saw them and tightened his grip around his sword.

Nabooru turned her head to see the witches, and she growled. "It's Twinrova…the Twin Witch Sisters of Spirit…"

"Twinrova?" Link blinked a little, still holding his sword tight.

"Their names are Kotake and Koume, and together they have one nasty power of brainwashing. Kotake holds the power of fire, while Koume holds the power of ice. Should they combine together, they become Twinrova." Link growled.

"Nabooru, dear, you have not done what we wanted," Koume spoke.

"You were supposed to kill Link, not talk to him," Kotake spoke.

"I don't care! I'm not yours to control anymore!" Nabooru shouted at them. "Get out of here, or you will pay!"

"I think not, dearie," Koume spoke.

"We can't just let you go like that," Kotake spoke.

"You must be brainwashed again!"

"Yes, that sounds like fun, let's do it!" Kotake and Koume pulled their powers together, shooting it forward in a beam. Nabooru was struck by it, and she vanished, a silver shield dropping to the ground. Link saw it and quickly picked it up, tossing his other shield away.

"Give Nabooru back!" Link shouted. "Otherwise, I, Link, Hero of Time, will destroy you!"

Kotake and Koume laughed. "You foolish boy, you cannot harm us!" Kotake shouted.

"We'll show you true power!" Koume spoke. She pulled her power together and fired a beam of ice forward. Link quickly blocked it, pointing his shield in Kotake's direction. The beam bounced off of Link's shield, striking Kotake, making her flail around and freeze in mid-air. "Kotake!"

Link smirked. "You want to try that again?"

"Fool!" Kotake shouted as the ice melted off her. She growled and pulled her power together, firing a beam of fire at Link. Again, Link blocked the beam, making it bounce off his shield and right at Koume. Koume shrieked and flailed around as she was struck. "Koume!"

"That's it, this brat is getting on my nerves!" Koume shouted.

"Let's do it, Koume!" Kotake spoke.

"Magic from Spirit, Magic from Fog, combine us together, and give us power!" Kotake and Koume chanted in unison. They began to spin around until they combined together into one. The remaining beast was about ten feet tall. She wore a strapless top, and the normal, baggy, desert pants. Her hair was split in two, where on one side she had fire, and on the other she had ice. The gem on her forward was split into two as well, one side being red, and the other being blue. In her hands were two wands. Her right hand held a wand with fire on the top, while in her left hand, she had a wand with ice on the top. It seemed her entire left side was her ice side, while her right side was her fire side.

"Now, Link, you will pay! We, Twinrova, shall destroy you!" When she spoke, both Kotake and Koume's voice came out in unison, along with a voice that sounded deeper and darker.

Link smirked. "We'll see about that." Twinrova turned so her left side faced Link. She brought her ice wand down, firing a blast of ice forward at Link. Link blocked the attack, and it was almost as if his shield had absorbed the blast, instead of reflecting it. It began to flash lightly, and Link looked at it for a moment, then at Twinrova.

Twinrova quickly turned so her right side showed now, and she quickly sent a blast of fire at Link. Link blocked it with his shield once more, and it stopped glowing. Link realized what had happened, and he now knew what he had to do. Twinrova growled, seeing their attack had still not prevailed, and, once again, she quickly cast a blast of fire forward, the shield glowed once more as it absorbed the flames into it.

"What's wrong?" Link asked. "Don't have enough fire power in you to beat me?"

Twinrova growled. "Fool!" Again, she shot fire from her wand, but it, once again, absorbed into the shield.

"Come on, what is that? I'm barely even feeling any heat over here! Honestly, don't you two ever try something strong for once?"

"Fool!" Twinrova shouted louder. "Now you will feel the full power of fire!" Twinrova raised her fire wand to the air. It glowed as she drew power into the wand, then fired it forward at Link. Link held on hard as the fire struck his shield. He was starting to feel the heat, but he knew it would soon end. Twinrova growled, seeing that, once again, their power was absorbed. "If fire doesn't effect you, then perhaps ice will!" Twinrova turned her ice side to Link and he smirked.

"Hey, Twinrova, time to eat fire!" Link's shield suddenly a blast of fire forward, and Twinrova shrieked in horror as she was struck by all the fire she had released. Smoke covered Twinrova, and Link held his shield out, just in case anything should happen. As the smoke cleared, though, it was obvious that Twinrova had been defeated.

Link found himself trapped by a white crystal at that point, and he felt himself lifted up into the air. Everything went dark, then he found himself in the Chamber of Sages. Link was dropped down on the Triforce once more, and Link looked around. Nabooru appeared on the Spirit Platform, and Link noticed that all the sages were now gathered together.

"Link, you did it, good work," Rauru spoke. "It is good to see all the sages together at last."

"Link," Nabooru spoke, and Link turned toward her. "Thank you for what you did. With Twinrova defeated, Ganondorf only has himself. No doubt he'll come after you himself now. Be extra careful now. You must now find Zelda." Nabooru walked toward Link. "Here, take this. This is the last thing we sages can offer you to give you power." Nabooru handed Link a small medallion. "With all six medallions, it is time to complete your mission."

Link nodded. "Thank you, everyone. I will do my best to stop Ganondorf now. He can no longer hide behind his minions. It's just me and him now." Link pulled out the Master Sword once more and looked it over. "To think it all began because Ganondorf cast the curse on the Great Deku Tree. He has sealed his own fate." Link looked up. "Let's do this together." He held out the sword, and the sages placed their hands on the blade. The blade glowed, and Link noticed the six medallions appearing on the hilt of the blade.

"Link, find Zelda, defeat Ganondorf, and return this land to peace," Darunia spoke. "Only you can do that. None of us can."

"Go for it, Link," Saria spoke.

"Do it, Link," Impa spoke.

"Link, you can do it," Ruto spoke.

"We're all behind you," Nabooru spoke.

"Let our power guide you," Rauru spoke.

"All right! Let's do it!" Link shouted. He rose his sword above his head, and he found himself teleported down to the Temple of Time. He began to walk forward, when he was stopped by Sheik, who was standing in front of him.

"Link, there is something of great importance I must tell you," Sheik spoke.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"My real name isn't Shiek, my real name…is Zelda."

* * *

A/N: That's right...after about a month or two I FINALLY have the next chapter up...sorry it took so long...I got a new job, so I haven't had the amount of time to write as before...not to mention I haven't had any ideas >>;; ANYWAY...Chapter 11 is up. Next chapter - Chapter 12: The Sacred Realm (Another chapter with my own ideas and stuff). Chapter 14 will also be the same way...MOSTLY my idea (Note: as it's the final chapter, and the final battle, SOME of it won't be my idea...like the way it starts and such...) 


	12. The Sacred Realm

**Chapter 12: The Sacred Realm**

"My real name isn't Shiek," Sheik spoke, "my real name…is Zelda."

Link gasped. "Z-Zelda?"

Sheik nodded and waved his arm. In a flash, the outfit he wore vanished, and Zelda could now be seen. She was covered in a white light that slowly dimmed. It took form into a dress, then the light broke off, vanishing. In front of Link was now the blonde-haired princess that he had met seven years before. She now wore a purple shirt with a long white skirt. At the end of the skirt was purple trimming, and she wore purple shoes. Her shirt had no back, and her arms were bare, save the white gloves that went from her elbows down. She had small gold plates that extended from her shirt and onto her shoulders, and her blonde haired ended below her waist.

"Zelda?" Link asked. He was shocked. The girl he had known seven years ago now stood before him, almost like a beautiful angel. Her beauty had grown a lot, and he couldn't help but stare straight at her.

"Link, I am sorry for meeting you in disguise like I did, but I had no choice. Seven years ago, you pulled the Master Sword from the pedestal, and Ganondorf got hold of the Triforce. However, as he did not have a balance of the three elements in his heart, he could not collect the entire Triforce. The legend says that 'should any man with a balanced heart touch the Triforce, he shall gain its whole power. However, should a man, without a balance of the three, touch the sacred triangles, it shall split apart, and that which the man is strongest in, shall be left in his hand. The other two shall go to those chosen of destiny to obtain them.'"

Link thought on this for a moment. "So, Ganondorf didn't have a balance…meaning he only got hold of one of the three…"

"Exactly. He desired power, and it was power he got. Wisdom and Courage separated from the Triforce, and now reside within two others."

"Who?" was Link's only response.

"I know not who holds courage. I would have thought it was you, but you don't hold the mark."

"Mark? What mark?"

"When the triforce separates and touches two people, they are left with a mark on their right hand. It is the mark of the triforce, but only one of the three triangles is gold, the other two are darker." Zelda rose her right hand. "I hold the Triforce of Wisdom." Link noticed that, on Zelda's hand, was the symbol of the Triforce. The bottom right triangle was golden, while the others were a darker color.

Link looked at his hand, and noticed that there was no mark. "You're right…I don't hold the mark…"

"Someone else has the Triforce of Courage, either that, or the Triforce is still within the Sacred Realm, waiting for its master to touch it."

"I see…that would make sense…"

"Once Ganondorf got hold of the Triforce of Power, he went rampant on the land. He took over Hyrule with the greatest of ease, but his power was still not enough. He wanted to have control over the world, which he could only do with the True Force. With only one of the three, though, he could do nothing. He invaded the Sacred Realm shortly after. He was attempting to find the Triforce of Courage, but he couldn't find it…He knew I had Wisdom, and so he searched for me. It was then that I made up the Sheik identity, and Impa taught me all I would need to know about the Sheikah."

"I then went to Ganondorf under disguise. I learned of his plans, and soon became very trusted by him, though he always grew angry at my inability to find Zelda. Of course, he didn't know I was Zelda, for if he had, he would have had me dead in a moment's time."

"Wow…I understand, then…You're basically risking Ganondorf finding you out by revealing yourself to me."

"Yes, but it doesn't matter…now that you have all the sages together, we can end this. We just have to defeat Ganondorf. This is our plan. The sages will open the portal to the Sacred Realm and lure Ganondorf in. I will then close it from our side, thus trapping him within the Sacred Realm. Then, and only then, can Hyrule return to peace…"

"You traitor," a deep, dark voice spoke. "For seven years you deceived me. Now, though, I have found you out. There is no hope for you now, Princess." Suddenly, Zelda became encased in a purple crystal. Link ran up to it and began banging against it. Ganondorf then appeared behind the crystal and laughed. "Fool, I have Princess Zelda now. If you want her, then you must come to my castle!"

"No, we're ending this now!" Link shouted. He drew the Master Sword and ran at Ganondorf, but he just went through him. Ganondorf laughed and disappeared, and Zelda went with him. Link growled, running out of the Temple of Time, and to Ganondorf's Castle. "Ganondorf!" he shouted as he reached the edge of the cliff that separated the land from the castle.

"Link," a voice spoke. "Link, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Saria, I can," Link responded.

"Oh, thank heavens. Link, the Triforce of Courage is here in the Sacred Realm. It is in the Lost Temple. You must get there and retrieve it. Only then will you have power enough to face Ganondorf."

"How do I get there, then?"

"Go to your home in the Kokiri Forest. You will meet, there, a man you hate. He will have the way to the Sacred Realm."

"Saria…wait…I don't understand…how do I get it from the man? I can't just ask for it if I hate the guy…"

"You will know what to do when you see him. I'm sorry, Link, I can't say anymore. We will speak again once you are here." With that, Saria's voice faded out, and was gone. Link growled and swore under his breath. He quickly raced off, heading through the market ruins, and into the Hyrule Plain. There, Epona sat at the gate. She had managed to get back on her own, and was now waiting for Link.

Link nodded. "Let's go." He hopped on Epona, and the two were off as quick as lightning. Epona ran as fast as she could. Though she could not communicate to Link, she could feel his emotions, and could tell that he needed to be at the forest as quick as possible. It took almost two hours, but they arrived.

Link quickly jumped from Epona, racing into the forest, and to the Kokiri Village. He raced passed all the Kokiri, and headed straight for his house. He climbed the ladder, running in, only to find it empty. He looked around, searching everywhere he could, but no one was there. "Hello?" Link called, but there was no response.

Finally, Link sighed and turned to walk out. As he was about to walk out of his house, a dark figure appeared before him. Link stepped back, staring straight at him. In front of him was someone he hoped he'd never see again. In front of him was Dark Link. "This can't be!" Link shouted. "I destroyed you in the Water Temple!"

"I have ways of returning," Dark Link spoke. He rose his hand. "I come in peace, though. I do not wish to fight. I am here for a single reason." He reached forward and grabbed Link's pouch. Link tried to fight him away from it, but he was unsuccessful. "Here," Dark Link spoke, taking the Ocarina of Time from the pouch. Link growled. "Take your ocarina, and play the 'Overture of Sages'." Dark Link tossed Link the ocarina, then, as if by magic, a black ocarina appeared in Dark Link's hand.

Dark Link began to play a song on his ocarina, and, after a time, Link began to play it as well. The world seemed to shift around Link as he found himself lifted from the ground. The world went dark, and he found himself in the Chamber of Sages once more. "Link, I'm glad to see you," Saria spoke.

"I'm glad to see you, too, Saria," Link said, hugging her tight. "I still love you."

Saria frowned. "I told you, Link, we can't be together…"

"I know that's what you say now, but we will be together, I promise. Nothing will keep me from being with you."

Saria sighed. "If that's what you believe…I don't believe it will happen, though."

"Well, that's what you believe, but I believe we'll be together again." Link continued to hug her, not wanting to let go of her.

"Link, I'm sorry to interrupt you," Rauru spoke, "but you must find the Triforce of Courage."

"I know…" Link still didn't let go of Saria. Ruto was standing nearby, a look of jealousy and anger on her face. "I love you, Saria…I do now, and I always will."

"I know…" With that Saria and Link kissed for the last time. Link then let go of Saria and turned to Rauru. As he turned, he noticed Ruto was mad, as well as extremely jealous. Link sighed, then looked at Rauru.

"I'm ready…"

"Then it is time for you to go." Rauru rose his hands into the air and a path appeared that lead out of the Chamber of Sages. It led to a small door, and Link crossed the path and walked out. What he saw when he left the chamber was a frightening sight.

The sky of the Sacred Realm was a blood red color that seemed to shift and change. The ground was dead, and darkness covered much of the ground. The entire land was filled with monsters, and the land seemed alive, almost looking like the ground could open up and swallow a man whole if it wanted to.

Link walked forward into the land before him. He didn't know what was lying in wait for him, but he knew he had to go through. After all, he had never backed out before because he didn't know what was ahead of him. Link was always faced with courage. He tried his hardest to never be afraid, even though he had been several times. Even so, he never let fear pull him away from his task. Link went into the realm with courage, even though the absolute darkness of the land scared him.

Link journeyed through the dark plain that was the Sacred Realm. He really had no idea where to start looking for the Lost Temple. However, he felt as if something was pulling at him, making him go where he was supposed to go. He did not know if he could trust it, but what other choice did he have? He kept going, following where he felt he needed to go.

Link had not gotten far from the Temple of Light before he ran into a large group of Stalfos. There several of them, at least ten or twenty all in one group. The moment they saw him, they all turned and charged at him. Link's eyes went wide and he thrust his sword up. "Flame Dragons!" he shouted as his sword burst into flames. He brought the sword down, swinging it in front of him in a figure eight form. He then flipped the sword over and struck the ground. Immediately, several dragons made of fire flew forward, striking the Stalfos, eliminating about half of them.

The other half charged even faster, and Link stepped back. He had only one shot at his next attack. If he failed, he was in trouble. Link dropped his sword to the group and dropped to his knees. He clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. "Fire of Din, fire of power, let your power flow forth and consume all around!" he shouted. He opened his hands, and a small light shined between them. He rose his hand above his head and tossed the light to the ground. When it struck, it created a large circle of fire around Link. It spread out, striking the Stalfos before they had time to react. Link grabbed his sword and stood to his feet, looking around. The Stalfos were gone, which Link was happy to see. Now, though, he had to continue.

Meanwhile, in a dark room somewhere else, something was watching Link. "So, the boy holds Din's Fire, does he? The Mirror Shield, Din's Fire, the Master Sword…this boy must be the Hero of Time, for it says that the Hero of Time holds the flame of Din, along with the Master Sword and a shield like a mirror…However, does this boy hold Nayru's Love, and Farore's Wind? That is a question indeed." The creature clapped his hands.

Nearby, a door opened "Yes, master?" a voice spoke from behind the door.

"Lead the boy to the Unicorn Fountain…I must test something."

"As you wish, sir." The door closed.

Meanwhile, Link was still wandering the Sacred Realm. No more battles had come so far, but he knew that, should he keep going, more battles would come. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man riding on a horse appears. Link quickly noticed it was Phantom Ganon, and quickly pulled out his sword. Phantom Ganon laughed and looked at Link. "Do not fear, mortal," he spoke. "I have come only to do as my monster commands. He has asked me to take you to Unicorn Fountain."

"Unicorn Fountain?" Link asked. "What's that?"

"A very special place here in the Sacred Realm. It is one of the only places left that are still untouched by the Evil King, Ganon. You must come with me."

"Why? You're Ganondorf's shadow. Why should I follow you? For all I know, you may ask me to do something so you can gain control of the fountain."

"Yes, you are very perceptive. It is true that I am Ganon's shadow, Phantom Ganon, but that is why you must follow me. For you see, in this Dark Realm, you will meet many enemies you defeated before, and they will lead you to new places, and each will give you a task to do. When you meet the last and complete his task, you will find the Triforce of Courage where he takes you."

Link sighed. "Very well…" Link jumped onto the back of Phantom Ganon's horse, Nightmare.

"On, Nightmare, to the Unicorn Fountain!" With that, Nightmare rode forward, heading to the Unicorn Fountain, and whatever lied there. It wasn't that long of a journey, but they found themselves entering a long, dark path that seemed to stretch on forever. Finally, they reached the fountain, and Link stared at it.

The fountain was impressive. The entire fountain was blue, with three stone unicorn heads sticking out from the water, each at least twenty feet tall, if not more. All three of the unicorn heads faced each other, and water freely flowed from the unicorns horns, down to where they combined into one steady stream that soon ended at the water in the fountain.

"This is absolutely marvelous!" Link spoke loudly.

"This is the Unicorn Fountain. It is protected by a barrier of light that has been slowly weakening. The task I give you is this. You must strengthen the barrier of light."

Link blinked and turned to Phantom Ganon. "How do I do that?"

"If I knew, I'd do it myself." Link growled and turned back to the fountain. He looked each of the unicorn heads over as good as he could, but there was nothing wrong with them. He then looked over the water, tasting it and finding it to be better then anything he had ever tasted.

"This water is so pure…it is amazing how this place exists. If only we could keep it pure…I have to find out how to strengthen the barrier…"

"That is impossible to do," a voice spoke. Link looked up, only to see Saria sitting on one of the unicorn horns.

"S-Saria?"

Saria smiled and jumped down, landing on her feet. She looked up at Link, smiling. "There is no way to strengthen the barrier that protects this fountain. Not enough to keep the fountain pure forever, that is."

"Then what do I need to do?"

"You need to strengthen the barrier just long enough for you to defeat Ganondorf. Afterwards, the realm will return to normal, and the barrier will naturally strengthen itself once again."

"Right, then, so how do I do that?"

Saria shrugged. "Hey, it's a barrier of light. I'm the Sage of Forest. How am I supposed to know? This would be Rauru's department."

Link gave a heavy sigh, hanging his head as he did. "Great…I don't know what to do…"

"I don't know, Link…I guess all I can say is find the source of the weakness…but the darkness that is beating on it is coming from everywhere, with the source at Ganondorf…"

"Not exactly true," Phantom Ganon spoke.

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

Phantom Ganon laughed and snapped his fingers. "Let the test begin." Immediately, the three stone unicorn heads began to shake, then they changed, turning into real unicorns.

"Umm…Saria…what do I do?" Link asked.

"I don't know…Unicorns are rather strong creatures…whatever you do, you'll want to keep from killing them…they may be strong, but anyone who kills a unicorn gains a half-life, in which they live forever, but are as Stalfos with rotting flesh…"

"Great…" Link sighed. "Well, until I can figure out how to beat them, this will have to do…" He clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. "Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, protect me from that which threatens me. Bring forth your love, and shield me from danger!" He opened his hands, and a light shined between them. He thrust his hands into the air, and a diamond-shaped shield of magic appeared around him.

Phantom Ganon smirked. "Yes, that is exactly what I needed to test you on." He snapped his hands again, and the unicorns looked to him. "Yes…so you do hold Nayru's Love…the power of protection with wisdom…" He snapped his fingers again, and the fountain returned to normal. "This was nothing more then a test to see if you held Nayru's Love. You were never truly in any danger." Phantom Ganon jumped off Nightmare, then walked up to Link. "She's yours now. Take her and find your next task."

Link blinked. He was very confused. Saria was as confused as him. After a moment, Link nodded and hopped onto Nightmare's back, and the two rode off. "What's going on?" Saria asked.

"My master wanted to know if Link held Nayru's Love, so he tested Link by bringing him here."

"Why does he wish to know?"

"So that he can beat Link." Saria gasped and looked in the direction Link had left. Link continued to ride forward, not turning back. Again, through the path he went, until he came to a large room filled with ice. In the middle was a strange pink pedestal made of ice. Link walked over to it and touched it, looking it over.

"How strange…" Link spoke, moving his hand across the ice. There was, apparently, nothing inside the pink pedestal. All Link saw was an empty room with the pedestal in the middle. Suddenly, a noise came from behind, and Link quickly whipped around to see what it was. He saw nothing, and so he turned back, only to see, what appeared to be, Morpha trapped within the pedestal.

Again, a noise from behind, and Link turned around. Still seeing nothing, Link turned back, now seeing Princess Ruto trapped within the pedestal. They were frozen in a way that looked as if the two had been fighting, then suddenly frozen inside the pedestal. "What's going on here?"

"Link!" a voice spoke from behind, and Link whipped around to see what it was. In front of him stood a suit of golden armor. Link remembered legends of the Gerudos making suits of armor that they had brought to life. They called them "Iron Knuckles". This Iron Knuckle, though, was different then any Gerudo Iron Knuckle, for there were no Gerudo marks on the armor. The Iron Knuckle rose a large sword, which was so big it took the Iron Knuckle two hands to hold it. "I will destroy you!"

Link quickly pulled out his sword, ready to do battle. The Iron Knuckle swung, and Link quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being hit by the sword. Link ran forward, striking the Iron Knuckle's armor, but, his sword only bounced off the armor, not even denting the armor. The Iron Knuckle laughed, and Link growled. He swore under his breath, then quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding the blade of the Iron Knuckle's sword.

Link jumped left and right, dodging the Iron Knuckle's sword as best as possible. He had to find a weakness, but he didn't know where to look. Soon, though, Link found the Iron Knuckle's weakness. A simple hole in the helmet of the armor showed something inside that was glowing a red color. Quickly, Link swung his sword into the hole of the helmet, and his sword went all the way through the helmet. After a moment, the armor slumped, and became nothing more then armor. The pink pedestal then melted as the room became surrounded by fire. Morpha vanished, and Ruto just waved, vanishing.

Link began to walk through the room, trying to find where he needed to go next. It wasn't long until he came upon a large stone statue. It had two large eyes at the top and sides of its head. It had a large mouth, almost big enough to be a cave entrance. It had three large teeth, one on the top of its mouth and two on the bottom. It also had two large, pointy ears. "Welcome to the Lost Temple," a voice spoke. Link turned around, seeing Nabooru at his side.

"Hello, Nabooru," Link spoke.

"That is the entrance to the Lost Temple, which is where you will find the Triforce of Courage."

"Good, that means I'll be able to go fight Ganondorf soon."

"A word of caution, Link. The Lost Temple is not to be taken lightly. It is where all the darkness is coming from in this realm, for it is there that the Triforce lied once before, until Ganondorf touched it. You must be careful. Danger and evil lurk around every corner."

"Right. I won't be afraid to fight." Nabooru nodded and Link ran forward. He pulled out his hookshot and fired it up, hooking it the top tooth of the cave. He pushed the button to pull himself forward, and he landed on the ground under the tooth. "Well, here goes nothing."

Link walked into the mouth of the cave, and it grew dark. He quickly pulled out a fire arrow, and it lit at the end. He walked through the cavern, his only light being the light coming from the arrow. Finally, after long winding passages, he made his way into a room with light. The windows were made to look like the Triforce, and gold light entered them.

Link stepped into the room, looking around. The room was massive, and lined with all sorts of forest life, such as vines, grass, and other things. Link noticed that it seemed as if the room never stopped going up, yet vines hung from the seemingly non-existent ceiling.

Suddenly, two large skeletons rose from the ground and growled. They were not Stalfos, for they did not look like Stalfos at all. They only seemed to be large skeletons with clubs. Link pulled out his sword and quickly swung, the sword striking the bone of the skeleton. The sword sliced right through the skeletons bones, and it exploded. The other skeleton rushed forward at Link, going in for the attack.

Link had little time to react as he quickly swung his sword in an arch, striking the skeleton in the head, watching as its head exploded into millions of pieces. The rest of the skeletons body fell to the ground once its skull was gone. Link stepped on the bones as he passed by, making his way through the room. The room was enormous, but it wasn't hard to get through.

Once through the room, he found himself entering a passageway that was made of gold bricks. The ground, walls, and even ceiling were all gold bricks, which made Link stare for a moment. He did not stare for long, though, because, out of nowhere, a large hand appeared, as if coming from the wall. It had large claws on each of its fingers, and was completely detached from anything else, not to mention it was as big as Link.

Link pulled out his sword and stabbed the hand in the center, making it quickly pull back when the sword went in one side and out the other. The hand then seemed to fade away, and Link continued on the path. The path twisted and turned, until finally he found himself at the end. There, in front of him, was the Triforce of Courage. "I found it!" Link exclaimed. He ran forward to touch it, and a large beast appeared in front of Link, completely blocking the way. Link recognized the beast immediately. "Morpher!" he shouted.

The Morpher laughed. "Yes, Link, it is me. Before you can collect the Triforce of Courage, you must defeat me!" With that, the Morpher quickly pulled himself into a small black ball. The ball struck the ground and sprouted up. It formed two massive legs, a massive body, a long tail, two massive arms, and a head that looked like Volvagia's. Link's eyes went wide when he saw what was in front of him.

Morpher had the body of King Dodongo, a tail like Ghoma's, two massive arms that ended like Bongo Bongo, even the dismembered hands Bongo Bongo had were there. He had Volvagia's head, along with two large radar-like objects on his shoulders like Barinade. In one hand was a long chain that seemed to hold Morpha on the end of it. In his other hand, he had a staff that had fire on one side, and ice on the other. "I'm am everything you have fought before. Now you have no hopes of winning."

"We'll see about that!" Link readied his sword. He ran forward, swinging his sword at the beast. The sword only bounced off the beast's body, and Link growled, realizing that King Dodongo's body was still as hard as ever. Quickly, he jumped back, narrowly avoiding an attack from Morpher.

"You will never win! I am unstoppable!"

"I doubt that. You have a weakness somewhere, and I'm going to find it." Link looked over the Morpher carefully. He saw the strengths of every single monster in the body that the Morpher had taken. After a moment, he smirked, readying his mirror shield. The Morpher noticed what Link was planning, so he quickly swung Morpha at Link. With a single swing, Morpha was destroyed and the Morpher growled.

The Morpher then tried an attack with his fist, slamming it down on Link, but Link knew what to do. He pointed his sword up at the fist, making the sword go straight through the disembodied hand. The Morpher roared as he pulled his hand away, the Master Sword still stuck in his hand. Link quickly called the Master Sword, and it flew through Morpher's hands, and back to Link's hand.

The Morpher growled again. He felt pain in his hand only for a moment longer, then the pain was gone. The disembodied hand, though, had taken all it could, and it came crashing to the ground with a loud crash. Link quickly pulled out his bow, firing at arrow at the Morpher's other hand. It struck, causing the Morpher to drop the staff in his hand. Link quickly rolled forward, picking the staff up.

"You still cannot defeat me!"

"Want a bet?" Link waved the staff, making fire shoot forward in a large beam. It struck Ghoma's tail, and the Morpher roared. He then flipped the staff around, aiming a beam of ice at Volvagia's head. The Morpher roared as the beam struck, and his head became encased in ice. The ice melted somewhat quickly, but now the head couldn't breathe fire.

The Morpher coughed badly as smoke came from his mouth. Link smirked once more. This time, he fired off a large blast of fire at King Dodongo's body. The Morpher felt the fire on its body, and it laughed. The blast then shot right into the Morpher's mouth, travelling down to his chest, and exploding within. The Morpher collapsed to the ground, and King Dodongo's body vanished, leaving only a vapor to tie the rest of his body together.

"It's over," Link spoke, slamming the Megaton Hammer down onto his head. It made him roar, and then, he faded. Link turned to the Triforce and began to walk forward. He didn't walk for long before the ground ended. Link noticed there was a large gap between where he was and where the Triforce was, and he tried to think of what to do. _The only way over is if I jump, but it's too far to jump…I'll never make it…_ Link thought. _No…I can do it…I must have courage!_ Link stepped back, then ran forward, pushing off the ground at its ending point.

Link flew into the air, and, after a short time, he began to come down, getting nowhere close to the ground. Link reached forward, hoping that, just maybe, he could reach the ground on his way down. Somehow, he managed to grab hold of the ground, which was still several feet away. Link pulled himself up, looking straight at the Triforce of Courage that now stood before him.

From here, Link could see that all three triangles were still there, but two were darker. Only one was still gold, the one at the bottom corner. Link reached forward, and the Triforce lit up. First, the top one turned red, then vanished. Next, the bottom right one turned green, then vanished. Finally, the bottom left one turned blue, then flew into Link's awaiting hand. The mark of the Triforce appeared on the back of his hand, and Link saw the Triforce fade out, making the bottom left triangle on his hand glow.

_Link, Hero of Time, you have shown your courage to me,_ a female voice spoke in Link's mind. _I am the essence of the Triforce of Courage. Only one who had great courage could hold me. You have shown your courage, and now, I am yours. Bring together all three, and the Triforce shall combine into one. Then, when one of the three who held a piece touches the Triforce, the power of the True Force shall be theirs. Go now, stop whatever evil has spawned from the separation and imbalance of the Triforce. Only the Hero of Time, with the power of the Sages on his side, can end it._

Link felt himself lifted, and then dropped in front of Ganondorf's castle. This was it, no turning back. The end was about to come.


	13. The Great King of Evil

**Chapter 13: The Great King of Evil**

Link looked forward at the castle. There was no way to the castle, as there was no bridge that led to the castle. Suddenly, lights fell from the sky, and Link looked around. _What's going on?_ Link thought.

Saria appeared before Link, looking forward at him. "Link," she spoke. "We Sages will help you out. We are going to help you across to Ganon's castle. We will all use our powers to create a bridge forward. The middle tower of the castle is protected by six evil barriers. You must take them out before you can reach Ganondorf. Good luck, Link. I love you."

"I love you, too," Link spoke. Saria then disappeared and a long bridge slowly began to form. It had all six colors on it. Link crossed carefully, and entered into Ganon's Castle. Link ran through a long path, the walls seemed covered with triforce symbols. He went down some stairs, reaching a large door at the end. He opened it and walked through, finding himself in a large room.

The room was large and made of stone. There were six doors in the room, one was back the way he came, there were one with the forest symbol over it. There was another with the fire symbol over it, and a door with the water symbol over it. There was another door with the shadow symbol over it, and lastly, there was a door with the spirit symbol over it.

In the center of the room was a large stone tower that had a large, purple, energy shield around it. The five other doors in the rooms also had large beams that shot from above the door to the energy shield. Each had a different color, representing which one it came from. A sixth sat over a large black rock, that had a moon and star carved on it.

Link stepped forward, turning to his right. He walked forward, entering the door that had the forest symbol above it. Link found himself in a much smaller room. There were several torches that lined the room. Link knew exactly what to do. He ran to the middle of the room, only to have a Wolfos jump down from the ceiling. "You shall not pass!" it roared.

"This one can talk?" Link shouted. He quickly pulled out the Master Sword, but the Wolfos knocked it from his hand. Link growled and waited for the Wolfos to rear up for an attack. Just as it swung to attack, Link jumped over it, pushed himself of its head, and landed next to the sword. He quickly picked it up, ready to do battle.

The Wolfos ran forward, and with a single, swift move, Link took the Wolfos out by striking it in the chest. It roared and pushed its head forward. It snarled, then died. Link pulled his sword away from the beast, and it collapsed to the ground. He then stepped into the middle of the room. He dropped his sword to the ground and clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. "Fire of Din, fire of power, let your power flow forth and consume all around!" he shouted. He opened his hands, and a small light shined between them. He rose his hand above his head and tossed the light to the ground. When it struck, it created a large circle of fire around Link. It spread out, striking the torches that were all around him. In an instant, the torches had lit, and the fire opened the way onward. Link picked up his sword and walked into the next room.

Link now found himself in a room filled with many platforms. They were all elevated off the ground. Link could see the door on the other side of the room. However, he could also see that he would have to cross the platforms just right in order to get over. The fact that there were several fans that were big enough to blow him off the platform didn't help any.

Link quickly jumped forward, landing on a platform in front of him. Fire then surrounded him and a poe appeared. "Hehe, you cannot pass unless you beat me," the poe spoke. Link smirked and quickly swung his sword, smashing it against the poe. The poe screamed as it exploded, and the fire vanished. He then turned and jumped to his left, landing on another platform. He then jumped again, just barely missing the next platform. He quickly grabbed onto the edge as he dangled from the edge.

Link gulped and pulled himself up, slowly, onto the path. He then found himself face-to-face with a Lizalfos. Link smirked again, and didn't even bother to ready himself for battle. The beast charged at him, and Link simply sidestepped, making the beast run off into nothing, and fall. Link then turned and jumped forward, landing on another platform, which was directly in front of a fan. He pushed against the air that was blowing hard on him, and fought to keep himself on the platform. After a moment, the fan turned off, and he jumped over to the final platform, and passed through the door.

In front of him was now a small room that held a large orb in the center. It was surrounded by a black energy barrier. Link quickly pulled out his arrows, and, as he pulled back, it burst into light. He shot it forward, and it struck the barrier, destroying it and shattering the orb. Saria then appeared in front of Link and smiled. "Good work, Link," she spoke, "you got rid of the Forest Barrier. Hurry up and take out the other five." Link nodded.

Saria then teleported him out of the room, and back into the main room. He watched as the green energy beam disappeared, and the energy shield in front of him weakened some. Link then continued to his right, heading down a flight of stairs. In front of him was the door with the water symbol on it. He walked in, finding himself in a room filled with ice.

Link stepped forward, and found himself face-to-face with about three Freezards. Link blinked, then quickly jumped back when they began to breath ice on him. He quickly clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. "Fire of Din, fire of power, let your power flow forth and consume all around!" he shouted. He opened his hands, and a small light shined between them. He rose his hand above his head and tossed the light to the ground. When it struck, it created a large circle of fire around Link. It spread out, striking the Freezards. They melted and Link looked forward. A large block of ice blocked his way onward.

Link walked forward and touched his hand against the door. His door glowed red, and the fire medallion appeared on the back of it. The ice slowly melted away, and Link walked forward, entering the next room. The next room was also filled with ice. This one was extremely cold and Link found himself shivering horribly. "Link!" Navi shouted as she shot through the door.

"Where have you been?" Link asked, looking at her.

"Sorry, Link. I got separated from you when you went to the Sacred Realm. I'm back, though."

"Good."

"Link, we can't stay in this room. The cold alone can kill us in a matter of minutes. We have to find the exit."

"It's right there." Link pointed forward. The door was on the other side of the room, and it looked like there was nothing between them and the door. Link quickly ran forward, but found himself sliding to a stop as he found himself face-to-face with three Snow Wolfos, which had dropped from the ceiling. They roared and Link growled.

Link rose his sword above his head, and the sword burst into flame. He brought the sword down, and swung it in a figure eight form. At the end, he flipped his sword over and struck the ground. "Flame Dragons!" he shouted. Four large dragons of fire rose from the ground and smashed into the Snow Wolfos. They roared as they were struck, and Link quickly ran forward, hoping he had taken care of them. He quickly opened the door and ran in, making it in before anything else happened.

He was once again in a small room with an orb surrounded by a black energy barrier. Link pulled out another arrow, pulling it back so it burst into light. He shot it forward, and it struck, destroying the barrier, and shattering the orb. Princess Ruto appeared in front of him. "Good work, the Water Barrier is dispelled as well. Hurry up! There are still four barriers, and not much time left." Ruto teleported Link out and back to the main room again. Link watched, once again, as the blue energy beam disappeared, making the energy shield slowly decrease once again.

Link turned to his right once more, and walked up a set of stairs. He found himself standing at the door with the shadow symbol above it. He walked in, ready to do whatever the shadow barrier brought. Link looked around, seeing a long room. The room was made of bones, and it looked like the ribcage of a large monster. There was a long empty space between him and the next platform in front of him, with nothing around but a large skull surrounded by green fire. "A green bubble," Navi spoke. "The only weakness it has, that I know of, is that it is weak when the fire around it disappears."

"So…how do we get across here, then?" Link asked.

"I can fly over, but how you're getting over, I have no idea."

Link thought for a moment. "There must be a way over…I just know there is." Link stepped forward, reaching the end of the platform he was on. Link held his breath as his foot moved out to nothing, in a hope that there was invisible ground, like in the Shadow Temple. He brought his foot down, and it stopped on invisible ground and Link let out a sigh of relief. He stepped onto the invisible platform, and he sighed, wondering if the platform went straight, or was curved in any way.

Link walked forward on the invisible path, hoping there would be no surprises. Unfortunately, Link's hopes were held untrue as he found the path ending. He walked back, checking every area of the invisible path he could. Nothing led away from where he was. Navi floated around, searching for anything she could. She then stopped and noticed a small torch in front of her. She used some of her fairy magic to light the torch, and the invisible path became visible.

Link nearly fell over with shock when he saw the path become suddenly visible. He could now see that the path ended, but with a single jump, he could make it onto another platform in front of him. He ran forward, pushing off at the edge of the platform. He landed on another platform, and once again, he jumped, landing on another invisible platform. With one final jump, he landed on a platform in front of him.

On the platform was a Like Like, which was a large, blob-like beast. It moved slow, and tried to eat anything it could. It was known best as the "Shield Eater" as it liked most to eat shields. Link growled and pulled his sword to the side. It began to glow, and he swung it forward in front of him in an arch form. "Forest Beam!" he shouted as a large beam was formed, firing off at the Like Like. It struck, and the Like Like roared as it dissolved into nothing but a blob on the floor. However, these things were known for coming back after their defeat, so he quickly moved on. He jumped from the platform he was on, and onto another one.

A set of golden gauntlets was sitting on the ground. He quickly picked them up, only to have a large hand come from the ceiling and smash into the ground, pinning his hand to the ground. It quickly jumped back up and tried to come down on Link. Link quickly moved out of the way and drew his sword. He stabbed the hand and, after a moment, it collapsed to the ground, dead.

Link then took the gauntlets, pulling them on. He felt power go into his hands, and he felt like he could lift even the greatest of boulders. He then looked forward, noticing the door was in front of him. He walked through finding another orb. He once again used an arrow of light to destroy the barrier and the orb. This time Impa appeared before Link. "The Shadow Barrier is dispelled. Please save the Princess. You only have three more left." Link nodded. Impa teleported Link out, and he found himself in the main room once more.

Link watched as the purple beam vanished, and the energy shield lost more power. He headed to his right once again, entering the door with the fire symbol over it. He found himself now in a long room. There was a winding path in front of him, almost like a maze. It set right above a large pit of lava. Link gulped, hoping he could make his way through this one. "Link, it's so hot in here, we can't possibly make it!" Navi shouted.

"Don't worry, Navi, I've got the Goron Tunic I was given. It'll protect us." Link pulled out the red tunic and put it on, switching his green hat for the red one. Navi hid under the hat, noticing it was nice and cool underneath. Link walked forward and onto the winding path. Link felt the path rumble beneath him and it began to sink into the lava. Link quickly got off the path, and it rose back to normal. Link quickly put on his hover boots, and stepped onto the path. It was as if the path didn't feel his weight anymore.

Link slowly walked forward, not daring to run, since he knew it was hard to stop once he got going. The hover boots allowed him to float, but he knew the problem with them was the fact that they had no traction at all.

Slowly he crossed the path, doing his best to stay on. Several times he slipped and almost fell off the path, but he managed to keep himself on at the cost of making the path sink slightly. He had to fall back and hit his back against the ground to stop from slipping off, but it meant the path would feel weight and would start to sink. Link made it about halfway across the path before anything bad happened.

Torch slugs fell from the ceiling and landed on the path in front of him, giving the path weight. Torch slugs were nasty little slugs that had fire coming off their back. They were too hot to touch, with either weapon or hand. Link felt the path start to sink when the torch slugs landed, and he had to move quickly. Link pulled out his bow, pulling an arrow back until a faint blue light appeared around it. He shot it forward, striking one of the torch slugs. Ice collected around it, and it was frozen in place. With a quick kick, Link knocked it against the other torch slug, which resulted in them both falling off the path. The path floated back up, and Link gave a sigh of relief.

He continued onward, and soon came face-to-face with red bubbles, which were skulls with fire around them. They floated in front of Link, who shot each one with an arrow of ice, taking each one out quick and easy. He continued on the path until he reached the end, where he quickly jumped off the path and ran through the door. Another orb surrounded by a black barrier lied in front of him. With another arrow of light, Link took out the barrier and shattered the orb. Darunia then appeared in front of him. "The Fire Barrier is dispelled. Hurry up, brother. You only have two left." Darunia teleported Link out, and Link watched as the red beam disappeared. The shield was now severely weak, and was beginning to shake and looked as if it was ready to fall apart.

Link turned to his right and went down a set of stairs. He found himself at the big rock, which had a yellow beam coming from above it. Link sighed, not sure what to do. He had no way to get around it. He pulled out his hammer and swung it at the rock, but the hammer only dented it slightly. It was too slow of a way through. Link sighed and walked on, ignoring it for the time. He went up another flight of stairs, reaching a door with the spirit symbol above it. He entered in, ready to get it over with.

Link found himself in a large room with several spike traps that were crossing the floor. He sighed, looking over the room. He pulled out his hookshot and aimed it up at the middle of the room. He fired it and it caught, so he pushed the red button to pull himself up. He got up, and a part of the ceiling broke off, making him land on the ground, hookshot still in hand. He aimed for the other side of the room, but the hookshot couldn't catch this time.

Link had no choice. He had forward, watching each spike trap carefully. He jumped up, landing on top of one of them, and it carried him to the right side of the room. He quickly hopped off and ran forward, making his way through. He quickly opened the door and ran through, just barely making it out without getting hit by a trap.

In the next room, there were two more torch slugs. They were blocking the path onward, so Link quickly took them out with arrows of ice. He then smashed his hammer on them, making them shatter to pieces. He opened the door in front of him, finding himself in a large room. The door was in front of him, but the room was in complete darkness, and he could not see. Suddenly, five small sun symbols lit up, and Link looked around.

"Shine light upon the true one, and you shall see to get out," a voice spoke. Link pulled out an arrow of light and looked at the different suns. "Choose wrong, and you shall be mine!" Link thought for a moment, then fired an arrow directly upward. It lit up the ceiling, and a sun symbol appeared. The room lit up and Link smirked. "No! This is impossible! Fine, continue…"

Link ran forward and through the door. He found himself in front of another orb surrounded by a black energy beam. He shot another arrow of light forward, and it struck, destroying the barrier and shattering the beam. Nabooru appeared. "The Spirit Barrier is dispelled. Hurry up, kid. Only one is left." Nabooru teleported Link back to the main room, and the brown beam vanished. The energy shield had weakened greatly, and looked as if it could shatter at any second.

Link ran down the flight of stairs and punched the barrier. His hand went right through it, but he couldn't hold it for long, because, even though he could go through it, it hurt horribly to do so. He looked to the rock and sighed. He had to get through. He walked forward and cracked his knuckles. He felt like an idiot for even thinking he could lift it, but he tried it anyway.

To Link's surprise, he found himself able to lift the rock quite easily. He looked around, trying to find a place to toss the rock, but he couldn't. He soon decided to toss the rock behind him, and so he tossed the rock over his head and behind him, where it smashed into the barrier and shook the entire tower. The barrier just barely protected the tower from getting destroyed by the massive rock. Link then walked forward, walking into the door that had the symbol of light over it.

"Link, I can't see the enemy in here, but I can sense them," Navi spoke. She pushed her brown hair away from her face. "Over there!" she shouted, pointing forward. Link drew his sword and thrust it forward. He felt his sword strike something, then it appeared. A skulltula was in front of him, and he growled. The spider-like beast roared and shook the sword off. Link thrust his hand against the monster's skull-like face and it roared as his hand glowed, the fire medallion appearing on his hand.

The skull-like face soon burned away, revealing its insides. The beast soon collapsed to the ground, shaking and dying as its insides were exposed. It was left as a mess on the ground and Link just shivered. "That was gross…"

"Link, behind you!" Navi quickly shouted. Link turned around and thrust his hand forward. There was a roar as a keese burst into flames and crashed to the ground.

"Keese…" Link sighed. He kicked the bat-like creature, then turned and walked towards the door. He walked through, wondering what was behind the door. There was nothing more then a long passage, leading to the next door. Link just shrugged and walked on, heading through the next doorway. He found himself in another room; this one was circular. It had several boulders that ran around the circle. Link could see several small trenches in the path, and he had no problem using them to avoid each boulder.

It took him only a few moments to get through the room and through the door, finding the next room completely empty. It was a room much like the room with the orbs, but this one was empty. He ran forward, looking all around. He touched the wall in front of him, and his hand passed right through. He quickly ran ahead, making his way through the wall and into a room that had the orb surrounded by the black energy beam.

With yet another arrow of light, Link took out the orb and the shield, and Rauru appeared before him. "Good work, Link, all the barriers are dispelled. Now, hurry! You must save the princess." Rauru teleported Link out to the main room, where he watched as the final beam disappeared. The energy shield began to shake more. It had grown completely unstable, and soon, the shield shattered into light, which soon faded. Link quickly made his way back up the stairs and to the front of the tower.

"This is it, Navi," Link spoke. "No turning back now. We're going in." Link walked in, making his way forward. He walked through a large set of circular stairs, battling keese on his way up. He went through a door and into a center room. The room was relatively large, and had two doors, one leading the way he had come, and one leading out another way. There were also two gates that lead outside the tower and to a path outside that climbed to the top. In this room, Link found himself face-to-face with two dinolfos. They were a larger version of the lizalfos, but not much else was different.

Link ran forward, jumping in between them. They swung, but missed, striking each other. Link laughed and they growled. One jumped back, and the other ran forward. Link jumped forward and swung his sword, but the Dinolfos blocked it with its own sword. Link swung again, but the Dinolfos again blocked. Link swung once more, and the Dinolfos blocked, but this time, Link pushed his hand against the Dinolfos' body. Link smirked and his hand glowed. The Dinolfos roared and the light medallion appeared on Link's hand. After a moment, the Dinolfos was blown back, and was dead. Link turned to the other and waved his hand.

The other Dinolfos roared and charged forward, its sword in front of it. Link jumped at the last moment, and the Dinolfos ran into the wall, falling onto its back. With a quick stab in the chest, Link took it out. He then headed through the doorway before him and began to climb another set of circular stairs.

The next center room, which looked much like the last center room, yielded two Stalfos in it. Link smirked. He knew this would be an easy battle. He ran forward at one and the Stalfos charged as well. With a single swing, the Master Sword struck the Stalfos, and its bones exploded. With another swing, he struck the skull, and it exploded. He then turned to the other and pointed his sword forward. The sword began to glow as he held it. "Final Flame!" he shouted, and a fireball shot forward, striking the Stalfos and taking it out in one shot. He then turned and ran through the next door, and up another set of circular stairs. It was at this time that Link began to notice the sound of an organ being played.

He walked into the next center room, which looked much like the others, and the sound got louder. Link noticed two iron knuckles in front of him, which were large suits of armor that were completely hollow, and had large battle axes. One of them was made of normal iron, but the other was made of black iron. Link growled and ran forward, attacking the one made of normal iron. At that moment, the suit stood upright and began to move forward slowly. Link jumped back, running away from it. The suit followed rather slowly, which made Link think. "Link! Those things are incredibly slow! Perhaps you can attack it when it tries to attack. You should be able to manage something like that. Or maybe you can get behind it!"

Link sighed and ran forward. He jumped around the iron knuckle and the suit turned slowly. Link struck the suit in the back, and it acted as if it hadn't even been harmed. Link now had no idea what to do. The iron knuckle turned around and swung its massive axe. Link dodged it, then realized what he had to do. He dug his sword up the suit and pulled, so a piece of the armor broke off. He then did a back flip and shot an arrow of light right into it. It roared and collapsed to the ground.

Link quickly ran to the black iron one and attacked it the same way. He pushed his sword into the underside of the armor and pulled the armor off, and it roared. He shot an arrow of light into it, but this one didn't seem effected by it. Link growled and swore under his breath. He pulled out another arrow of light as the iron knuckle began to run at him. It was struck again, making it stagger back some, but it still wasn't effected much by it. Link swore under his breath again and ran headlong into the suit. He knocked it down onto the ground and pushed his arrow up into it. He shot the arrow in and the suit roared, then fell apart.

He ran through the door, entering another set of circular stairs. He made his way up, and sighed when he reached a massive door. He could hear the organ playing even louder now, and he opened the door, his sword ready. Upon entry, he found the room empty. The room was a dull grayish color, and looked much like the other rooms. He ran to the massive door at the other side, finding another set of circular stairs. The organ was now louder then ever, and he ran forward, through the carpeted, circular stairs.

At the top of the circular stairs, Link had no doubt. He could hear the organ playing from the room right behind the massive door in front of him. He slowly opened the door, walking in. In front of him was a room surrounded by stained glass windows. In front of him was a massive organ. A purple crystal floated over top, and Princess Zelda was inside. Ganondorf was playing the organ, and Link could feel darkness in the music. There was also four large statues surrounding the organ, which each had a bird-like lady on the tops.

Almost immediately, Link's hand began to glow, and the triforce appeared on it. The Triforce of Courage lit up on his hand. The Triforce of Wisdom lit up on Zelda's hand right after, and Link looked forward. Ganondorf definitely knew he was there now. Ganondorf stopped playing the organ and stood up, his back still towards Link. "The Triforce parts are resonating," he spoke. "They are combining into one again. The two Triforce parts that I could not capture on that day seven years ago…who imagined they would be within you two?" Ganondorf laughed. "And now, finally, all the Triforce parts have gathered here!" He grabbed his cape and turned around. He still looked like the same man he was seven years before. "These toys are too much for you. I command you return them to me!" The Triforce of Power appeared on Ganondorf's hand, and waves of darkness spread out from his hand.

"Link, I'm sorry!" Navi shouted. "Because of the waves of darkness, I can't even get close to him! You're on your own, Link. I'm really sorry!"

Ganondorf laughed and pulled a massive sword from a sheath that was attached to his back, under his cape. Link drew the Master Sword, now ready for battle. He pulled out the Mirror Shield, and Link and Ganondorf ran forward, colliding together. There was the sound of steel upon steel that echoed throughout the building as Link and Ganondorf fought. Zelda could only watch, hoping Link would win.

Link swung to the left, but Ganondorf blocked it quickly. Link swung again, but again his attack was blocked. Link bit his lip and swore under his breath. _Six sages, help me,_ Link thought. Link did a quick back flip, then pointed his sword forward. "Final Flame!" Link shouted, and a fireball shot forward at Ganondorf. With a single swing, Ganondorf's sword tore through the fireball and Link's eyes went wide. He jumped to the side as Ganondorf tried to bring his sword down on Link.

"You will never win, Link!" Ganondorf snarled. "You may be the Hero of Time, but you will fail, and when you do, I will rule Hyrule forever!"

Link growled. "I don't think so, Ganondorf!" Link shouted at him. Link held his sword out to the side and closed his eyes. The sword glowed and Ganondorf ran forward. Link's eyes shot open and he brought his sword forward. "Convergence of Shadow!" he shouted. Suddenly, several beams of black light shot from Link's sword and spiraled towards Ganondorf. They struck, wrapping themselves around Ganondorf's arms.

Ganondorf pulled on the bonds that now pushed him away from Link, fighting as hard as he could to break free. It didn't take much to break from the bonds, and Ganondorf growled. He held his hands at his side and power flowed into them. He thrust his hands forward, a large ball of energy was sent flying at Link. Link swung at the ball of energy, but it was too late. It hit him and sent him flying back. Ganondorf laughed and began to walk forward towards Link. "See? I told you that you would lose! There is no escape from my power!"

"We'll see about that!" Link's hand glowed and the Master Sword glowed as well. The Medallion of Light appeared on Link's hand, and he pointed his sword forward. "Light Beam!" Link swung his sword around in a circle, then thrust it forward, sending out a large beam of light at Ganondorf. It struck and Ganondorf growled as he was forced back.

Ganondorf only laughed as he slowly stood to his feet. "Very well, if you really want to play it that way." Ganondorf rose his hand into the air and power gathered into it. He thrust his hand forward, and five balls of energy all shot forward. Link swung his sword, striking each one as it came his way. They all were sent straight back at Ganondorf, who pulled his cape in front of him to block the attacks. Once they had all struck, he pushed his cape away and ran forward. Link ran forward as well, and, once again, steel collided with steel as their swords clashed together. "Prepare to die, Link!" Ganondorf shouted as he pushed his weight into his sword.

"Never!" Link shouted as he did the same. They pushed against each other, trying their best to overpower the other. Finally, Link did a back flip, which threw Ganondorf off. Link rose his sword into the air, then pointed it forward. Small beams of light shot forward at Ganondorf, who struck each one as he ran for Link.

Ganondorf jumped forward at Link, who only smirked. Link swung his sword, and it struck into Ganondorf's side. He collapsed to the ground, and Link turned to look at him. Ganondorf stood to his feet, then placed his hand at his side for a moment. He looked at his hand as it now had blood on the fingers. He growled and ran at Link once again, power collecting in his hands. He pushed himself off the ground and slammed his fists into the floor, making the whole tower shake as dark waves shot off, knocking Link off his feet.

Ganondorf laughed again and Link slowly stood to his feet. "I won't lose to you." Link rose his sword into the air. "I will destroy you!" The sword glowed as light seemed to swirl around it. "This is your end!" Ganondorf growled and ran forward. He swung his hand forward at Link, ready to deal a massive blow. Link brought his sword down, and a huge beam of light shot forward from his sword. Ganondorf roared as energy shot out of his body and swirled around, then came back in and struck him.

Link rose his sword then swung down, dealing Ganondorf a major blow to the chest. Ganondorf began to gasp for breath, and he placed his hand on his throat. "How can this be? How could I be beaten by this kid? This is impossible!" Ganondorf rose his hands into the air and the entire castle began to shake. The room they were in crumbled to dust, and Ganondorf collapsed to the ground, dark waves coming off his body.

The crystal Zelda was in slowly floated down to the ground, and then vanished. Zelda looked to Ganondorf and sighed. "Ganondorf, pitiful man," she spoke. "Without a virtuous heart, he could not control the power of the gods." The castle began to shake and Zelda gasped. "We have to get out of here. With Ganondorf's last breath, he is attempting to crush us in the ruins of the castle."

Link nodded. "Then let's get going!" Navi shouted as she quickly flew down next to Link. Link and Zelda ran quickly, they had to make it out of the castle, and they had very little time to do it in. They ran down a path outside of the tower that led down to one of the center rooms. Zelda quickly opened the gate, and the two ran in. They made their way through, and out through another one of the metal gates that was closed.

Link followed close behind Zelda, keeping watch for anything Ganondorf may have set up as a last hope to keep anyone from getting out of the castle. They made their way into another center room, and they quickly passed through it, going down even more. "How many rooms did you have to go through to get here?" Zelda asked.

"About four," Link spoke, his sword still readied for anything that might come.

"Good, then we aren't far." Zelda continued running, Navi was holding onto her hair, since she couldn't fly fast enough. More then once she had almost been crushed by falling debris from the castle. They made their way into another center room and Zelda looked around. She sighed and ran forward, only to get stopped when a circle of fire surrounded her. "Link!"

Link readied his sword as two Stalfos appeared before him. Link ran forward, swinging his sword at the first, causing it to explode. He then grabbed the Stalfos' skull and tossed it at the other one, knocking the bones off it as well. Link aimed his sword forward and shot two small beams forward, which struck the skulls and caused them to explode. Link then jumped through the fire, grabbed Zelda, then jumped through again.

"Let's go," Zelda spoke as she stomped on her dress to put out the small fire that had caught on it. She ran forward and opened the next gate for them to go through. They ran around the tower once more, entering another center room. Zelda opened the gate, and Link continued to keep watch. They made it to the other side of the center room and Zelda opened the gate, only to have the hallway in front of them come crumbling down. "Link!"

Link quickly ran forward and thrust his hand against the rocks. His hand glowed, and the rocks exploded outward, and Zelda quickly ran forward. She ran across the bridge in front of them, and out through the main entrance. Link and Zelda just made it out of the castle before it came crumbling down behind them. The bridge the sages had made was gone, and the castle began to fall apart and fall. The main tower fell forward and crumbled to the ground. The rest of the castle just caved inward, and soon, there was nothing left but destruction everywhere.

Link gave a sigh of relief to know they had made it out alive. They were safe as soon as they could make it off the piece of rock. However, as fate would have it, this was not the end as they had hoped. For no sooner had they begun to be joyful that Ganondorf would no longer threaten them, then did they hear a strange sound from the rubble.

Link quickly put his arm in front of Zelda, holding her back as she looked forward. "What could it be? Ganondorf is dead, isn't he?" Zelda asked.

"I don't know, let me check." Link walked forward towards the rubble of the castle. The rumbling was heard again, and he gripped the Master Sword harder then ever. Suddenly, the rubble burst apart, and Ganondorf floated into the air. His eyes were now a pure blood red color. He held his hand forward, and the Triforce of Power activated. His body grew and become like that of a massive bull. His arms and legs became like that of a demon, and a long tail grew from his back. His head changed to that of a bull as well, but with a pig nose. As he stood to his feet, two large, crystal swords appeared in his hands.

Ganondorf began to swing his swords around in a mad fury, and Link rose the Master Sword to block his attack, only to have the two swords connect, and the Master Sword snapped in half. The blade flew towards Zelda, and landed, just barely missing her. The hilt flew off, landing near the edge of a piece of land, almost on the verge of falling. The final battle had begun.

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A/N: Yeah...I know...the Master Sword doesn't break in the game...but please read the next chapter before you judge that part...it'll all come out and make sense in the end...BUT R&R anyway, cause you've reached the end of this chapter, and I dunno when the next one will be up. 


	14. The Final Battle

A/N: Just figured I'd say something before you went off reading the FINAL chapter of my Ocarina of Time story. Yes, that's right, the FINAL chapter. The entire battle scene is mostly my own idea. I found the outfit Link wears in this chapter in a picture while I was online. I liked it a lot, so I figured I'd put him in it here. This is the final chapter, though. Who can win now that the Master Sword has been destroyed? How will anyone but Ganon win? Read, find out, then review. It's the last chapter, so it's your final chance to review.**

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** Chapter 14: The Final Battle**

Link looked down, his eyes closed. Ganondorf looked down at him, his swords ready to strike. Link just stood there, not moving at all. Ganondorf rose his sword above his head. "Link, move!" Zelda shouted. Ganon's sword came down, stopping just above Link's head. Link opened his eyes, and his eyes showed a golden glow. Zelda gasped, just staring. She didn't know what was going on.

"Ganondorf, thy heart seeks only power," Link spoke. "As such, even after death, you could not let go. Power consumed you, and now you are nothing more then a beast." Link looked up, staring right into Ganondorf's eyes. "Now, you shall see what happens when courage stands up against power." Link waved his hand in front of his face, and the Triforce of Courage lit up on his hand. "Now, you shall fall."

A black light surrounded Link. It slowly moved in closer around him and formed into a black armor. The green tunic and hat he wore vanished, and the armor formed over his body. He held his hand forward, and the hilt of a sword appeared in front of him. The hilt was long and slender, reaching out as long as his arm. It ended with a point at the end. As Link moved the hilt back, it formed a long, black blade. The triforce appeared upon it and Link pulled the sword under his arm. Purple crystals formed on the hands of his armor, along with a blue necklace made of small crystals. A long, red cape flowed off his back, and he looked forward.

"Now is the time," Link spoke. He ran forward, jumping into the air. "This ends now!" Link grabbed the hilt of the sword with both his hands and he brought the blade down. Ganondorf quickly pulled his blades up, blocking Link's attack. Zelda could only watch in amazement as to what had just happened.

"Link! Let me help you!" Navi shouted. She flew over as fast as she could.

"Navi, watch over Zelda. See if you can fix the Master Sword," Link spoke. He then jumped into the air once again, and floated in the air. "Ganondorf, bring out your strongest attacks, because my courage will destroy you!" Link shot forward, sword pointing forward. Ganondorf swung one of his blades, and the two blades collided, a loud clash was heard as the two fought to overpower the other.

Navi quickly flew back to Zelda and began flying all around. "What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?"

"Calm down!" Zelda shouted. "All we can do is try to put the Master Sword back together."

"How?" Navi asked.

Zelda looked around, then saw the hilt over by the edge. "Navi, look!" Zelda shouted, pointing. Navi turned, seeing the hilt. "Grab it quick! It's going to fall if you don't!" Navi nodded and quickly flew forward, she could only hope her fairy magic would be strong enough to pull it away.

Link swung his sword, and Ganondorf blocked once again. He pushed off and floated into the air. He rose his sword, and fire came down from the clouds above and swirled around it. "Omega Flame!" he shouted. He pointed his sword forward at Ganondorf, and the fire shot down, aimed directly at him. Ganondorf brought his swords in front of him, fighting to keep the flames from hitting him. The flames kept pushing harder, and soon Ganondorf found himself pushed back, and pushed against the ground. "Surrender now, and give the Triforce to me."

"Never," came the dark, pig-like voice of Ganondorf. "I am Ganon, King of Evil! You will not destroy me!" Ganon swung his sword forward, firing a large beam from his sword. Link outstretched his arm, and a shield appeared out of thin air. He moved it in front of him, and it expanded to cover his entire body. Link fought against the beam, trying to push it back.

Zelda was now starting to get scared. She wanted to run over and help Navi, but the sight of the battle before her had locked her in fear. She was frozen, unable to move a muscle. She could only stand there, panicking, and hoping Link would be okay. "Princess, help me!" Navi shouted, and Zelda's gaze turned away from Link and Ganon.

"Navi!" Zelda shouted. She ran as quickly as she could to Navi and quickly grabbed hold of the hilt of the Master Sword and picked it up. They then ran back, looking over the sword and the hilt. They had to find a way to put it back together. Link continued to fight with all his power and courage. He had to, because all of Hyrule was counting on him.

Link ran forward at Ganon, and his sword glowed. He kicked off the ground, flying up into the air, and over Ganon's head. He brought his sword down, and as he did, it became covered in light. Ganon quickly swung up, striking the blade and knocking it off course. Link flipped in mid-air, then pointed his sword at Ganon. Two small beams shot forward from his sword, and he landed on the ground. The beams struck Ganon, and he roared loudly. "Why you little…" Ganon paused for a growl. "I will destroy you!"

"I don't think so!" Link shouted. He rose his sword above his head, and the ground began to shake. He swung his sword around, striking it into the ground. Vines immediately rose from the ground and wrapped around Ganon's feet. They then wrapped around his arms and his throat and he roared. Ganon pulled hard, tearing the vines right out of the ground. He jumped forward, and Link quickly jumped back, just barely avoiding getting crushed by Ganon's feet.

Link jumped into the air again, aiming his sword at Ganon. Again, beams shot from his sword, but this time, Ganon swung his sword, striking each beam as it came at him. Link pulled his sword back, preparing for an attack. Energy collected into his sword, and he swung the sword forward, firing a large black beam. It split apart, forming several, somewhat transparent, gray beams that all wrapped around Ganon.

Ganon growled and roared again. He pulled and Link pulled on his sword, trying to hold Ganon in the beams. "How is it going, there, Princess?" Link asked.

"I can't do anything!" Zelda shouted. "It's impossible to put it back together! There's just no way!"

"There's a way, there has to be!" At that moment, Ganon broke loose and Link growled.

Ganon laughed some, then rose his hand into the air. He waved his hand around some, and several large beams shot from the ground, forming into Stalfos. They all jumped forward and Link growled. He swung his sword, and a large beam shot forward in an arch shape. It struck several of the Stalfos, but didn't take them all out. Link growled again and jumped over them, swearing under his breath as he did.

"Come on, Navi, there must be something we can do…" Zelda spoke, trying to think.

"I don't know what to do, Princess," Navi spoke. "The Master Sword is shattered. We can't possibly hope to fix it."

"There must be a way, and I'm going to find it." Navi just sighed. Link ran forward at Ganon, his sword readied. He swung, and Ganon swung to block. Link jumped into the air just before the two swords would have collided, and jumped over Ganon's blade, landing directly in front of him. He thrust his hand into Ganon's chest, and Ganon roared as Link's hand glowed a bright yellow. Link then did a back flip, landing on the side of Ganon's sword and kicking off so he went straight for Ganon's face.

Link reached his arm out, striking Ganon in the face with his glowing hands. Ganon roared as he was pushed back, and pushed into the ground. He was out for a moment, but that was all. "Zelda!" Link shouted and ran over to her. He quickly grabbed the hilt of the Master Sword and put it right onto the end of the blade. The sword flashed, and was whole once again. He pulled the Master Sword from the ground and handed it to Zelda.

Zelda blinked, staring at it. "You must wield it for now. Only with both the Triforce of Courage, and the Master Sword, can Ganon be defeated."

"But I'm not the Hero of Time!" Zelda shouted. "You are! You have to wield the Master Sword!"

"No, the Master Sword only needed to be drawn by the Hero of Time. It is now your turn to hold the sword, for a time, that is."

Zelda sighed and nodded. "All right, if it will accept me." She grabbed the Master Sword and rose it above her head. "Let's do this!" The two ran into the battle as Ganon began to stand once again. Zelda held the Master Sword tight, hoping the sword wouldn't break again.

"Do not use the Master Sword to defend yourself," Link spoke. "Ganon holds so much evil within him, that the sword will break again when it tries to repel the evil."

"Wait…if I can't hit Ganon's sword with the Master Sword, then what do I do?" Zelda asked.

Link handed Zelda the Mirror Shield he had gotten from the Spirit Temple. "This is for anytime you must defend yourself. Otherwise, I'll be distracting his swords. Use Navi to find his weakness, then attack it. It's the only way."

"Right," Zelda nodded and strapped the shield to her arm. She sighed. She wasn't ready, but she knew she had no time to get ready, either. So, she entered the battle, as ready as she could ever hope to be.

Link rushed forward, his sword behind him. He pushed himself off the ground and into the air. He brought his sword down with a scream and Ganon quickly formed and "X" with his swords and blocked the attack. Navi quickly flew forward, circling Ganon as fast as possible, yet still going slow enough she could get a good look at him.

Link pushed himself off of Ganon's swords, and floated into the air. He rose his sword, and fire came down from the clouds above and swirled around it. "Omega Flame!" he shouted. He pointed his sword forward at Ganon, and the fire shot down, aimed directly at him. Ganon once again brought his swords in front of him, fighting to keep the flames from hitting him. The flames kept pushing harder, and soon Ganon found himself pushed back again, and pushed against the ground. "There is no hope to stop my Omega Flame, Ganon."

"Oh, there isn't, huh?" Ganon laughed. "You simple minded fool!" He snapped his hands and vanished, appearing over Link. Link looked up as Ganon came down, swords forward. Link crouched down a little, then pushed off with his legs. He shot forward, and into the air. He aimed his sword forward, and it struck Ganon right in the side of the face, making him roar. The cut on his face seemed to heal up immediately, but Ganon was still sent slamming into the ground. He then slowly stood to his feet, ready to continue battle.

Link came down, his sword forward now. Ganon looked up and roared, putting his swords together, and blocking the attack. Link quickly pushed off, landing on the ground. _Come on, Navi, find his weakness,_ Link thought. _We can't kill him unless Zelda knows where to attack!_

"Zelda!" Navi suddenly shouted. Ganon turned his eyes to the fairy, and Link growled.

"You're fight is with me!" Link shouted as he ran forward. He jumped into the air once more and brought his sword down, striking Ganon in the arm. He roared, but, just like what happened with his face, the cut healed almost instantly. Ganon turned his eyes to Link now, and he swung his sword forward. Link blocked it with his sword, and Ganon quickly swung the other. Zelda ran towards the sword, blocking it with the Mirror Shield.

"Zelda!" Navi shouted again, quickly flying over to her. "Zelda," Navi began in a whisper now, "his weakness is his tail. Link has to distract Ganon, and you have to get behind and hit his tail. If you do that, then, as long as the tail hasn't grown back, Ganon will be vulnerable." Zelda nodded. Navi quickly flew to Link and whispered the same thing to him, and he nodded.

Link shot off the ground once again, bringing his sword down. Swords collided once again, and Zelda quickly ran behind Ganon. Zelda brought the Master Sword down on Ganon's tail, slicing it off. Ganon gave a loud roar of pain as he felt his tail struck by the sword. Link pushed off of Ganon's swords, then, as he landed, he quickly spun around, striking Ganon's leg. He roared, and the wound didn't heal. However, the tail was beginning to slowly grow back.

Link shot into the air again, and Ganon turned around to look at Zelda. He growled and rose a sword above his head. "I don't think so!" Link shouted. He rose his sword, and fire came down from the clouds above and swirled around it. "Omega Flame!" he shouted. He pointed his sword forward at Ganon, and the fire shot down, aimed directly at him. This time, the attack struck Ganon in the bank, and he roared in pain. He roared again as he felt his tail grow back.

Link landed on the ground, then jumped again. He flipped over Ganon's head, landing on the pig's nose. Ganon growled and Zelda quickly ran around. With another swing, Zelda once again cut off the pig's tail. He roared loudly, and Link pushed off his nose, tossing his sword down. It struck Ganon in the chest, and he roared. He fell forward, collapsing to the ground.

Link landed on the ground, and looked to Zelda. "Zelda!" he shouted. "Quickly! Use a barrier and hold him! Call the sages! We have to end this now, or it'll be too late!" Zelda nodded. She tossed the Master Sword to Link, who grabbed it as it flew right at him.

"Six sages! It is time!" Zelda shouted. She rose her hands into the air. She brought them down, and a golden barrier surrounded Ganon. He roared and moved around, trying to break free. The Master Sword glowed as the power of the Hero of Time surged into it. Link ran forward, stabbing the sword right into the pig's nose.

Meanwhile, in the Chamber of Sages, the six sages stood around the chamber, ready to do what they had to. "It is time. Ancient sages who protect the six temples, it is time to open the gateway to the Sacred Realm, and hold the beast within forever." They all clapped their hands together, then rose their hands above their heads. They glowed and turned into light, launching off, and into a large, black portal that had opened before them.

Above Ganon, another black portal opened, and the six sages shot through it. They surrounded Ganon, and with their powers they pushed him through the portal. He roared as he changed back into his human form. He found himself floating as he fell through the portal. "Curse you, Sages!" Ganondorf shouted. "Curse you, Zelda!" His eyes flashed with a blood red glow. "Most of all, curse you, Link! I promise you. I will return and have revenge on your descendants! This I swear! As long as the Triforce of Power is within my hand, I shall return!"

The gate closed after that, and Ganondorf found himself pulled into the Dark Realm. He watched as a large pyramid was formed around him, and then, he found himself pulled onto a table. He saw four chains wrap around his arms and legs. One was green, one was red, one was blue, and one was purple. A brown one wrapped itself around his throat, then, a yellow light pushed him out of his body, then formed a barrier over it to keep Ganondorf's spirit out. Lastly, a barrier covered the pyramid, which would keep Ganondorf from ever leaving, should he ever be allowed re-entry to his own body.

Ganondorf sighed and looked around. "So, then, I'm trapped in this place for an eternity?" He laughed. "I'll get free, and have my revenge on their descendants."

Meanwhile, back in Hyrule, Zelda and Link had made it off the small island, and were standing in the Hyrule Plain. "It's finally over now," Zelda spoke as she looked to the sky. The dark clouds in the sky were slowly separating, leaving a beautiful, blue sky, a site the Hylians had not seen for over seven years. "Thank you, Link. Ganondorf is now sealed in the Dark World, and he shall be left there for eternity."

"Now we can rebuild Hyrule, and I'll help," Link said, smiling. He placed his arm around Zelda, who frowned and looked down. "What's wrong?"

"Now that Hyrule is returning to peace, it is time for you to leave. You must go back, back to the way you were before all this happened. Back to your original age and form, and no longer be the Hero of Time." Link's eyes went wide. "I was foolish, seven years ago. I tried to control the Sacred Realm, and the Triforce. In the end, it ended up pulling you in, and all this happened."

"Zelda, I didn't help because I got ensnared by anything. I joined to help you and Hyrule. I fought for Hyrule, not because all the bad had happened. I wanted to save you, and everyone!" Link grabbed Zelda's shoulders and turned her to look at him. "I helped you, because…because…" Link pulled Zelda closer and kissed her on the lips. Zelda's eyes went wide with surprise at this. He slowly pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Zelda, when I was a kid, I was in love with Saria, the Forest Sage. When I met you, I didn't realize it, but I had fallen in love with you."

Link reached down and grabbed Zelda's hands. "Up until I fought Ganon, I thought I still loved her. I do still love her, dearly, but now, I don't know why, but I feel like I need you. I feel…like I love you." Zelda blushed and turned her head. Link turned her head back, and the two embraced each other in a hug, and their lips met, locking into a kiss.

After a moment, they slowly broke the kiss, and looked at each other. "Link, I love you, too, but you must still go back." She placed her hand on her chest. "I am the seventh sage, thus I must lay the Master Sword to rest. Listen to me in what I say, though. In a vision, just before we met up again, I saw what would happen in the next several hundred years."

"What did you see?" Link asked.

"Three gems, surrounding the Master Sword. Men, wearing the gems, pulling the Master Sword from a pedestal deep in the Lost Woods. Man after man, each became the leader of the Hylian knights. Then, a boy, sleeping in bed. He was awoken, and he ran off. He fought three beasts, and got the gems from them. He took the Master Sword, and battled an ancient evil. Then, I saw him, through a large wall of fire. Ganon had come back, and only the boy could save Hyrule once again. That was all I saw, though."

"Well, don't worry about it. In time, what you saw may or may not come to pass. It is not our time to worry about it."

Zelda nodded. "Now, you must return. I will govern Hyrule, as my father did before me. Hyrule is at peace for now. I shall return you back, then, when I lay down the Master Sword to rest, the doorway through time shall be closed. You, Link, must leave it closed. Do not reopen it, or the world, and all we have done, will become non-existent."

Link sighed and nodded. "Give me the Ocarina of Time, with it, you will be returned back." Link nodded and gave Zelda the Ocarina. "Now, Link, go back. Go back and regain your seven years." Zelda began to play the Ocarina, and Link felt himself lifted. "Good-bye." Link disappeared, finding himself awakening in front of the Master Sword.

Link was now, once again, seven years younger. Link looked around for a moment. Navi turned and flew off, quickly, before Link could see her go. "Link, good-bye," she whispered, just before she flew off. Link walked forward, smiling.

"Seven years, huh? Well, I guess I just have to wait for those years to pass, then, I'll ride up to her, once I've saved the world and returned back. Then, we can continue as if I never left." He smiled and ran forward. "I wonder if I was returned before or after Zelda and I met."

It took him but a single moment to get out of the temple, and into the Hyrule Market. Nothing had changed. He quickly ducked out of sight, though, when he saw a wagon coming in. He saw somebody hop off the back and he smirked some. "So, that's when I came back. I should be meeting the princess anytime now." He watched as events unfolded before him.

Link watched himself with Zelda, and he smiled. "I really had no idea who I was with all that time." After it became dark, Link quickly made his way to the castle. Using some of the things he had learned before, he made his way through the courtyard, and to the garden at the end. There he waited for Zelda to come the next day. When she arrived, Link explained everything. Zelda nodded, knowing what she had to do. He then, quickly, hid, as he watched himself enter the garden. Link tried his hardest not to laugh at Navi and the whole "ghost" thing she did.

After he watched himself leave, Link quickly followed behind. He snatched a dragon from the Gorons, and also tried his best to convince the Gorons that the ruby was a rock they wanted to eat. This drove Darunia into his chamber, and Link nodded. He quickly took the dragon and caged it. Then ran to Hyrule Market, changing on his way into a black tunic, and pulling a mask over his face. Link then sold the caged dragon for a simple two rupees. "Sell this lizard for seventy rupees, nothing more," he told the shopkeeper. "If you do, I know someone who will buy it from you. He'll be coming in a day. Take no offers until you see a kid that has blonde hair and a green tunic. He'll buy it."

"Why should I sell it to him?" the shopkeeper asked. "Why don't you?"

"Because, you own him, not me." Link then ran off. He then ran into the Kokiri Forest and stirred up some trouble by telling everyone they were cursed, and then giving Mido a scroll that would teach him how to turn the Kokiri into Wolfos. He told him everything, including the battle he would have to fight. However, he didn't tell Mido who would win.

He then rushed off to cause more trouble, and even met with Ganondorf himself, and persuaded him to go after the Ocarina of Time. A couple days later, Ganondorf did, and everything went exactly as it was supposed to. After that, Link led Ganondorf to the Triforce, and told Ganondorf of the barrier that protected the past Link's body. Ganondorf took the Triforce, and Link smirked. He now had to wait seven years before the rest would occur on its own, or so he thought.

Little did Link know, he was the cause of most of the problems that would occur seven years later. Link then joined up with Ganondorf, going under the name of "The Seer". Link brought forth all that needed to happen. After seven years, Link had helped bring about what needed to come forth to bring Ganondorf to his knees, and, after seven years, everything went exactly as it was supposed to.

Three nights after Ganondorf's defeat, a great party was held. Everyone from Hyrule gather together, and a fire was made in the center. The sages used their powers to change the color of the fire, and gave it the six colors which were on the medallions of the Sages. That night, Link rode up to Zelda, and from that night on, Link and Zelda held a life together. That was the end of the Legend of the Ocarina of Time, for shortly after, the ocarina was destroyed.

However, as the years passed, things in Hyrule changed, and the Legend of the Ocarina of Time became nothing more then folktales. Ganon was used now, as a name to scare children. For the tale now spoke that Ganon would come and harm you if you did not obey your parents. This was what it was, until, a great, golden power came from Death Mountain. Zelda's vision had become a prophecy, and that prophecy was soon to be fulfilled in what Hylian history calls "The Link to the Past."

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A/N: Yeap, I'm writing the sequel now "Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past" Anyone who knows the game, and my stories will probably love it. I know, according to some people ALttP isn't a sequel to OoT...or rather...OoT isn't a prequel to ALttP...but if you look at the games just right, you'll more then likely see that the games go together (or at least I think so). Therefore, I bring the games together. That's it! R&R now, cause you'll get no more chapters to do so. 


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